Sicario - Review
This review of Sicario is spoiler-free!
Denis Villeneuve, one of the world's most famous new directors because of films like Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, Prisoners, and Enemy. Needless to say, he has a variety of different styles of films that he has made himself known for and shown his prowess as a director. Sicario, being a film that was a part of Villeneuve's early rise to prominence allowed for the world to see a man who didn't necessarily care to appease his viewers with prideful tales of grandeur but instead focus on the dark and gritty natures of the world we live in. Sicario, needless to say, was one of the best films revolving around Mexican and United States relations. It doesn't pull punches when you often think it should and it's that brutal truth that makes it an even better movie. Now, enough small talk let's get into it!
Sicario focuses in on the story of a bright and skippy young FBI agent named Kate Mercer. After rising through the ranks, she is picked out by Matt Graver to join his task force. Not truly knowing what she is getting into, but excited to do more, she joins him. She quickly meets Alejandro and learns that their goal is to take down two of the largest drug bosses in America. Her ideas as a tried and true agent end up causing conflict with the unit she finds herself a part of and that deteriorating relationship causes concerns for all involved. Sicario is a very dark movie, all in all, it's story is painful and dark, and stretches all of its characters to their very limits. Sure upon just having finished the film I didn't truly understand the extent of the film's story, I understood it after a period of thought. This does concern me that the deeper meaning could not hit with some more casual audiences, but I don't believe it necessarily is a problem. As a result, I choose to praise Villeneuve's choice in plot and say well done by him.
Before discussing Emily Blunt's main character Kate Mercer, I want to discuss two of the other main characters as they are much more intertwined. Benicio Del Toro's Alejandro is the most morally ambiguous character in the movie, having an agenda that moves between honorable and dangerous. He focuses on his mission, and won't let anything get in his way of doing that. Del Toro's portrayal is fantastic and really manages to play well with the film's overall tone, which I will discuss more on when I focus on Mercer. The other part of the film worth discussing is Josh Brolin's, Matt Graver. Being the rather common hard-nosed and strong-willed military leader, he isn't afraid to do what is necessary in order to complete his mission. If that means getting rid of certain people in his own department, he will do it. Sacrificing those he cares about, say no more. Brolin is a great fit for the character, and I can see where Villeneuve accentuated the character to allow him more room to breathe, but I think the general idea could have been handled by others so I can't call his portrayal stellar.
As I mentioned, Kate Mercer is the true main character of this film. She's a by the books and honest FBI agent who believes in an idealistic world where everything can be done correctly and honestly, and when she comes into contact with Graver and Alejandro it means there was bound to be conflict. Sicario shows the true brutality of these conflicts between the United States and other countries, going as far as to show bodies hanging in the streets of Mexico, and open gunfights at the border crossing between the cartels and military. These incidents shake Kate to her core and cause her to challenge the line of work she finds herself in. Blunt plays the character well, as it allows her to stretch her range like I stated. She has the charisma to be a star and she shows that off here as well. The realization though is that her story was a one film story, so I do believe she played her part well.
Sicario is a film that grows even larger than the parts that make it up. The dark truth that Villeneuve portrays allows the film to reach heights that other films in the thriller and crime genres don't, without going too far into the dark. With a standout performance from Del Toro and Blunt, the characters in Sicario complement the story very well. In addition to leaving enough threads open for future films such as Soldado, I'm satisfied with the overall package of everything that came in this movie. After seeing a film like Sicario, I completely understand why people view Villeneuve as such a strong director in today's film industry. Before Sicario 2 releases, see what spawned that sequel!
