Sicario

One of my most anticipated films of the year so far, but does Sicario live up to the hype?

Sicario is a very difficult film. The first time I watched it, I was too confused by the end to really appreciate it. I don’t know what it was, maybe I was distracted or somehow missed something, but I was quite confused after I saw this film. But, I didn’t want to give up on it yet, so I went and saw it another time. Upon second viewing, Sicario completely blew me away. Something about having a relative idea about what would happen next helped the film become more cohesive and understandable. I was able to sit back and let the film unfold, rather than trying to piece everything together as the film went on like I did the first time I saw it. I’ll get into what I liked about this film more later, but for now, a brief synopsis.

Sicario is the story of FBI agent Kate Maser (Emily Blunt), who is called upon by a task force led by Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) to aid them in taking down a major cartel in Juarez. The mysterious Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) joins them, but Kate is weary of him, and at times, so is the audience. As Kate goes deeper and deeper into the operation, things begin to get strange, and Kate finds herself questioning everything around her.

Sicario is one of the most tense and nerve wracking films I’ve seen recently. As the film goes on, the tension builds and builds, exploding into a brilliant and violent climax that must be seen to be believed. Everything the film does adds to the tension. The music, the camera work, the story, everything. It all works towards creating suspense and it works really well. Another thing that is great about Sicario is the action sequences. They’re choreographed extremely well, blending thrilling action with brutal realism that makes the scenes thrilling without being too flashy. This is perfect for this film, and really adds to the over-all tension.

Sicario is also full of surprises. The story of Sicario isn’t necessarily something stunningly new, and the dialogue never completely blew me away, but it’s the little things that really stand out. Sicario takes a familiar genre and flips it on it’s head. It breaks a lot of rules and does things that very few films ever do. I don’t want to go into too much detail and ruin the film, so I’ll just leave it at this: Don’t ruin this film for yourself, let it surprise you, because the surprises in store are brilliant.

Thematically, Sicario is very complex. By the end of the film, emotions are everywhere. The viewer has no idea what to think and leaves the theater completely stunned. It certainly is a thought provoking film that will have viewers talking long after the film ends. It’s an intense thriller that doesn’t leave the viewer for a long time. I certainly know that I’m still thinking about it and going over it in my head.

Let’s talk about acting.

Emily Blunt gives an absolutely brilliant performance that is subtle and held back. As a character who has to remain strong we rarely see her true emotions pour through, but when we do, Emily Blunt delivers. It’s hard to put into words, but her performance is definitely one of the strongest parts of the film.

Benicio Del Toro is absolutely mesmerizing in this film. He maintains a constant element of mystery throughout the film, and switches between kindness and menace with astounding ease. He does an amazing job of keeping the audience on their toes, and we never know quite what to expect from him. I could not see anyone else in this role, Del Toro completely owns it and makes it his. His performance is equally strong as Blunt’s performance.

Josh Brolin is certainly one of the funniest parts of the film, and helps to keep the film from becoming unenjoyably dark. At times during the film his character is a total jerk, but Brolin finds a way to make it fun. Never really given a chance to show a lot of emotion, his performance isn’t quite on par with Del Toro and Blunt, but he certainly holds his own and delivers a great performance.

Let’s talk about camerawork. Roger Deakins once again teams up with Denis Villeneuve, and boy do they make a great team. The visuals of the film complement the story perfectly. There is a particular shot in the film where the characters literally descend into darkness to the point where they are no longer visible, and the only thing visible in the frame is a menacing yet beautiful sky in the background. The visuals alone are reason enough to return to the film, in fact, I would gladly see the film again just to see Deakins’ wonderful cinematography again. This was certainly one of my favorite aspects of the film.

The soundtrack of Sicario is completely and totally necessary to maintain the mood of dread that the film tries to create. The haunting soundtrack is basically present throughout the film from beginning to end, and never seems overbearing, but always fits the scenes perfectly. Yet another very strong aspect of Sicario.

Overall, Sicario is a brilliant piece of cinema, with many strong things working for it. Amazing performances, stunning visuals, and of course, a brilliant and complex story. My only complaint is that maybe the story was overly complex at times, and hard to comprehend. But, after a second viewing this problem ultimately went away. I highly, highly, recommend this film, especially for anyone who enjoys a good thriller.

__________________
Through the darkness of future past
The magician longs to see
One chants out between two worlds:
Fire walk with me.

Sicario



Emily Blunt plays an FBI agent who plays everything by the rule book---maybe because she is a woman , and in my experience women are more prone to live by the rules than men are . She and her partner discover gruesome corpses while on a raid and two of her team are killed in a explosion . Her boss recommends her to CIA officer ( played by Josh Brolin ) who is searching for those responsible including the boss of the drug cartel . Emily thinks that she is making no difference to the fight against drugs in her current position , and hence joins Josh .

But after joining Josh's team Emily comes to know that the location of the raids that Josh's team conducts are totally different from what she and her partner expected , and soon realises that things simply not what they seem to be...but by now it's too late to backtrack from the mission....She finds herself as a lone woman in a team full of hard men .

Along with them comes a enigmatic person played by Benicio Del Toro , who plays a real deep character who has a lot to hide , especially from Emily . He is the surprise element in the movie , and the CIA along with Josh plan to use him to achieve what they want . But what they want is something that shocks and stuns you when it is revealed , especially because people at high levels in the USA have approved of their extra legal methods .

So what does Josh and his team want ?? What is Benicio's role in this ??
And most importantly , why do they want Emily to be with them in their operations ??
As these things get revealed , it gets mighty interesting out there....

The soundtrack in which the film is played out is in a pulsating rhythm , the pulsations getting louder as things get tense and weaker as things settle down for a while before exploding again . The landscape is bleak , but the photography is top class and makes it appear real interesting .

Emily Blunt looks attractive and Josh Brolin looks handsome , and Benicio looks like a noble of a warrior kingdom---a dark horse .
Acting wise , it is obvious that the film been tailormade to give maximum scope to Benicio's acting---and credit is to be given to him for using the opportunity given to him fully . Emily is good too and Josh is okay . Daniel Kaluuya gives a sold performance as Emily's partner in FBI .

It is grimly realistic film , and it's violence has a stark feel to it . The weapons ( like automatic rifles with night vision scopes ) used look deadly and their technology menacing . It cannot be called a regular entertainer , But those who like these kind of gritty realistic films will root for it .

Verdict---Good .