Sicario

Emily Blunt: modern day action heroine

I've been looking forward to Sicario for a long time, because I've really enjoyed director Denis Villeneuve's other work (i.e. Prisoners). 

Last night I attended what was effectively the Denver premiere, as in, it was the first showing at my local theater, after Sicario decided to skip a near vacant month of September and instead enjoy it's main release weekend against The Martian and a decently large limited release of The Walk, not to mention the rest of a ridiculously busy October. 

Continued Hollywood release scheduling woes aside, last night I wasn't really in the mood to see a film. Three films in a given weekend is hard for me to fit in, I had just had a 12 hour workday, and I've been slightly under the weather this week so I was also tired. At least in my experience, none of these things equate to having a good time at the movies unless it's one that's amazing. Even then, you're still just not into it.

Only after 10 minutes, Sicario (pronounced See-CAR-ee-oh) had me. It's hooks were in and what I thought was going to be a really-solid-but-ultimately-doesn't-crack-my-Top-10 film morphed into something where I was wondering just how high this film could soar. 

And my God, did it soar high, despite me not being in the best movie-going mood. 

"How do you pronounce Sicario?"

Sicario is directed, as I mentioned above, by Denis Villeneuve who is quickly becoming one of Hollywood's most consistently great directors. His films capture intensity like many others are rarely able to achieve, the stories he tells are well constructed and paced, and his films are accompanied by some absolutely stunning cinematography (thanks to the great Roger Deakins) and solid/great original scores, often with really impressive casts giving equally as impressive performances. If that doesn't sound like the recipe for a great film right there then my name is Rumpelstiltskin. Sicario has all of these, but it shows constant improvement for the director, resulting in his best film to date. It's plot reveals itself a bit like a novel would -- with us not quite having all the facts, but generally knowing what is going on and having a good grasp of who's good (the FBI and other agents) and evil (the Cartel). Throughout the film, these "secrets" are revealed and the plot moves forward logically and at a brisk pace. Some may feel as if the film is a slow burn, but given the several, very tense action sequences, I'd disagree with that. It's a riveting chess match of characters, their decisions, and some of the repercussions of those decisions. While the film may slightly exaggerate the state that Mexico is in right now, it's not that far off and I found it shocking, horrifying, and surprising that so close to our border, there is what equates to a near-lawless land thanks to the Cartel and all the corruption that it introduces. Because of this evil, the film's protagonists are sometimes forced to make difficult decisions: do things by the book in order to get little-to-no results? Or create new rules of engagement in order to take drastic, highly effective actions that would be deemed by many as "illegal"?

Sunglasses? Check. Hair gelled? Check. Assault rifle? Double check.

All of this is presented to our iconic group of three characters: straight-laced FBI agent, Kate (Blunt), eccentric but motivated Matt (Brolin), and the mysterious but captivating, Alejandro (Del Toro). Many are saying that the film belongs to Blunt and I'd agree, but that's almost a disservice to the other two main characters. Blunt's character is one of the strongest female characters I've ever seen, and that's in a year that's also given us Imperator Furiousa. Blunt, as she always does, is fantastic, and although it's not the most difficult character to play, I think she earns herself an acting nomination regardless for sheer badassedness (yeah, it's a word). Brolin is better here than I've seen him in a long time and the same goes for Del Toro. Both reminded me how fantastic of actors they are given the right material and the right script, and between the three characters there is truly nothing but gold as far as performances are concerned. 

When you couple all that praise in addition to the fact that Sicario is one HELL of a well crafted film, I truly now am approaching a point where I'm not sure I have many criticisms for the film. The cinematography is some of the best I've seen this year, if not the outright best, the editing is tight, and the original score is haunting. It's weird to say but it almost gives a living, breathing "pulse" or heartbeat to the film as a whole. In one of the film's best scenes (and subsequently one of the year's best scenes) we are transported between nightvision and infrared vision goggles as a team infiltrates a cartel tunnel. The wide angle shots of the landscape through these different lenses, the editing and editing speed between the two, and the music all combine to make a scene that is edge-of-your-seat tense and mind-searingly memorable. It's exciting stuff.

"I just had my wisdom tooth removed and I'm very angry!"

I could sit here and tell you that Sicario is like nothing you've ever seen before, but I'd be lying. This isn't another Mad Max: Fury Road, but that is also part of what makes Sicario so damn impressive...it's a story about the war against the Mexican drug cartel. We've all seen it before. Hell, Breaking Bad was one of the best shows of all time (GOAT if you ask me) and it dealt with very similar subject matter. But Sicario is just so well made, well acted, and well filmed that it captivated me like I rarely have been before on this topic/genre and from a gruesome and shocking opening sequence right through to the mesmerizing ending; I was utterly floored. 

My closing comments sum up my thoughts perfectly: Sicario may not be my personal favorite film of the year, though that could still change over the coming months, but it is the best film I've seen all year.

CONS:

• A few scenes could have been trimmed
• There seemed to be a misplaced focus on a victim of the war. Without going into much detail, I'm not sure it had the same effect the filmmakers intended

PROS:

• Denis Villeneuve has officially certified himself on my "Directors I Get Excited For" list. It's a rather short list, but he's yet to prove me wrong
• The story is captivating, unraveling like a good thriller should, and never overly complicated or complex. I was aware of all the pieces, motives, and consequences at all times because the film made sure I was
• The entire cast is superb. Blunt can carry a film as good as anyone in Hollywood (see Edge of Tomorrow for further proof), Brolin reminded me why I always liked him, and Del Toro reminded me that he is really hard to not watch when given the right material
• Absolutely stunning cinematography. Best of the year thus far in my opinion
• Fantastic original score that fits the tone of the film, and helps set it in its own right
• There are several "classic" scenes throughout that I won't be forgetting anytime soon
• It's a mature film in the sense that characters are challenged, the lines are blurred, and the film doesn't take a stance either way for the most part. The audience member is left to their own devices to choose how they feel
• Intense, hard to watch at times, but never overdone. Nearly every minute serves a purpose
• Amazing editing and pacing
• One of the best posters of the year
• Truly one of the best films of the year

Rath's Review Score:

10/10 -- Instant Classic