Mikes Film Talk

The action/thriller Sicario (2015) offers up doom and confusion on tap. It also offers suspense via the soundtrack. It is thrumming, strident and evocative of the “train” sound emitted by the surrounding warriors  in the 1964 film Zulu.  A rhythmic overbalanced bass emanating from a woofer that feels one step from shaking itself to death. Sicario begins with a soundtrack guaranteed to elevate the viewer’s adrenaline levels.

This foreboding score begins the film as two definitions of the title appear on screen. One; being a zealot – a killer who hunts down invaders of their homeland. The other – a  hitman. The Denis Villeneuve film is, fittingly enough, about both.

The film’s score, by Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson  sets the tone and the pace of the feature from frame one. It manages to dictate the action. Provoking feelings of impending doom and confusion. Both of these are felt by the movie’s protagonist FBI agent Kate Macer. As played by played Brit actress Emily Blunt we feeling she is completely out of her depth. We also get the impression that everything is one half-step away from stampeding out of control.

Truncated Cast List

Sicario stars Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin.  Playing Macer’s professional partner Reggie Wayne is another Brit actor Daniel Kaluuya. Jeffrey Donovan and Victor Garber have impressive cameos in this film about drug cartels and the struggle to control them. The Walking Dead actor Jon Bernthal has tiny cameo as a crooked cop.

The Sicario Story

The film, written by Taylor Sheridan (His first project as author versus actor.)  begins with a raid on a house in the suburban setting of Chandler, Arizona.  Macer is a kidnap specialist who, with her partner and a team of agents, invades a tract house. Entering, by the device of ramming a vehicle through a wall, the team discover dead bodies in the walls.

Outside, agents are going through a storage shed behind the house. It is rigged to explode. Macer, Wayne and their boss David Jennings (Garber) receive injuries from the blast and flying debris. After the raid and the discovery of all those bodies, Macer is recruited by Matt Graver and his colleague Alejandro. Graver and Alejandro are played by Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro respectively.

Graver and Alejandro do not want Wayne. He tags along anyway, keeping an eye on his partner.

The two men talk Macer into volunteering for a dangerous and vague mission. They want to get the men responsible for the explosion in Chandler and that house of dead bodies.  Sicario follows her descent into the madness of a CIA operation and a father and husband bent on revenge.

Let’s Talk Sicario

The film is harsh, unrelenting and visceral in its depiction of cartel activity. and the task force’s foray into “enemy territory.”  The viewer feels as helplessly caught up in events as the two FBI agents Kate and Reggie. We share her feelings of overwhelming, frustration. Her rage at the events and Reggie’s concern.

Director Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Enemy) delivers on a level that feels almost guttural in its texture. His use of Jóhannsson to blend and escalate this story is pure genius.  Between the soundtrack and the events unfolding on screen the tension is almost palpable as is the threat.  The movies tone is one of a tautness that nearly screams with a tortured cry of  rage  and confusion.

Everyone Works Here

Emily Blunt proves yet again, that a slender and fragile looking English rose can convince us she is a cop. A tough as nails FBI warrior woman who gives as good as she gets.  *Blunt shows off considerable talents in the arena of being a tough one. In Loopers, “I will cut you the F**k in half.” As well as Edge of Tomorrow; “Bloody hell, it’s the Full Metal Bitch!”* Sicario brings her “action” skills full circle as the American FBI agent in over her head.

Josh Brolin plays the type of character he specializes in. A real-feeling protagonist who is sitting square in the middle of the fence. A man who is not afraid to create chaos if the end result is order.

Benicio Del Toro is brilliant as the taciturn and scary agent  of Graver’s (Brolin) chaos.  A disturbing mixture of thinly covered pathos tinged with a  deadly air that permeates every scene he is in.  His interactions with Blunt’s character are full of regret and sadness. She reminds him, he says,  of his daughter. Something that speaks volumes of the FBI agent’s naivety in this new world of cartels and the death they deliver.

The Verdict

Sicario is a powerhouse film that does not have a satisfactory or even clear cut ending. Ambiguity and a sense of confusion are present even after the end credits roll.  The final result is that we the audience have stepped fully into the shoes of Macer . Ultimately we identify with her completely.

This is a full 5 out of 5 stars film.  Tight to the point of screaming;  the plot, the performances and the action all follow that thrumming driving score.  Watch this film and prepare to be wound up like a Swiss precision watch.  Cracking entertainment that should not be missed. It is currently available on Peacock.

The Trailer