Sicario embodies the thrilling and violent reality of the bordersĀ and their ongoing struggle with drugs and power.
The film opens with the FBI’s aggressive raid of a suspected drug cartel house, framed by theĀ usual bravado and military precision of such raids in American films.Ā Sicario quicklyĀ distances itself from the norm by transforming the mundane Arizona house into a horrific cartel graveyard, the bodies encased in plastic slowly rotting in the walls. While the officers are still reeling at the discovery, an explosion from the garage solidifies the cartel as an evil that needs to be stopped, prompting Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) to join a task force that can catch the men that are really responsible.
The audience shares Kate’s confusion as she is suddenly thrust from scene to scene with little to no information, her blind compliance an expectation. Matt Graver’s (Josh Brolin) relaxed and glibĀ attitude is a stark contrast to the horrible reality of the modern war in which his team is fighting. This smirk paired with his deliberate elusiveness makes him a suspicious character, so Kate tends to gravitate towards theĀ mysterious war dog Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro).
In Juarez, the order, law and justice from which Kate summons her strength starts to dissipate before her eyes. While her shady co-workers revel in the blood and torture that is intrinsic to power, Kate refuses to rejectĀ rules and regulations, causing the naĆÆve agent to unravel just as the guns start blazing.
SicarioĀ is careful to embody the ubiquitousĀ fear that pervades cities run by drug lords, ensuring theĀ film has an omnipresent tension.Ā DirectorĀ Villeneuve only slows down the pace of the film to twistĀ Kate’s scenario and create greater upcoming tension. This apprehension is made possible by the impeccable performances by the main characters. They approach their roles with the same understated, methodical and realistic approach as the film, refusing to pander to the artifice and melodrama seen in similar crime dramas. Somewhat typical of Villeneuve, muchĀ of the intent and plotĀ is left unsaid, relying on the audience to inferĀ their own understanding through the characters’ looks, gestures and attitudes. This muted emotion allows for a more powerful subtext, such as Blunt’s depiction of Kate’s slow and disturbing dissolution of the idealism she clung to in her previous position in the force. Del Toro embraces the quiet powerhouse that is Alejandro, subtlyĀ creating a captivating character that is neither good nor bad. While Brolin is a necessary element of levity in the dark film, he still represents a faceless form of authority that abolishes theĀ existing set of rules, blurring the lines of power and justice.
SicarioĀ is a haunting and powerful piece of cinema that needs to be seen at the movies to experience the huge canvas it was designed for.Ā
