Long time fans of the site now about my mad love of Denis Villeneuve as a director. For example, just check out my reviews of the Best Foreign Film nominated INCENDIES or 2013’s PRISONERS. And of course I’m thrilled out of my mind that he’s going to be directing the Blade Runner sequel. But before that happens, we have his latest film, SICARIO, to chew on, and it is another great one.
The drug cartels in Mexico have been on a murderous rampage for quite a few years now, and of course openly defy the state. The number of people killed is staggering — estimates have it at over 100,000. Sometimes the violence even spills across the border to the US. And while this is reported occasionally in the news, it hasn’t been really processed by broad swaths of US culture in anything approaching proportionality to its devastation. Of course it was the vague backdrop for BREAKING BAD, but was always dealt with somewhat obliquely in that series. And major motion pictures have barely touched the subject.
That’s all about to change it a pretty forceful way with the release of SICARIO. It is a maelstrom of action, drama, intrigue and political machinations, cemented by a standout performance by Emily Blunt. It will surely be a contender for Best Picture next awards season.
SICARIO starts with a bang, or rather some devastating tank-on-house action in a drug raid. After the ensuing gunfight, FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt), and her team make a horrifying discovery — the property was used to dispose of bodies by a Mexican cartel. It is a brutal revelation — no matter how many drug crimes they disrupt, their team isn’t getting anywhere near the root of the problem.
So when Kate is recruited by a shadowy intergovernmental task force, headed by an enigmatic man only known as Matt (Josh Brolin), she jumps at the chance to try to make a difference. However, she isn’t told much of anything, only to meet the next day to fly to El Paso. On the chartered plane she meets another shadowy cipher, Alejandro, played by Benicio Del Toro. It turns out the trio aren’t going to stay in El Paso though. They are really headed to Juarez with small army of heavily armed soldier types in black SUVs to stir some shit up.
The audience is just as in the dark as Kate is, but as things start to escalate, everyone gets the sneaking suspicion that things are a lot murkier than they seem, and Kate might be in over her head. As the film plays out there are beautifully executed long stretches of action punctuated by an ever-tightening sense of tension and suspense.
The script, by Taylor Sheridan, is outstanding. It comes apart like an onion, one layer revealing the next as Kate progress through her trials. And there are plenty of juicy, iconic scenes of dialog between Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin, and between her and Benicio del Toro. As you can imagine, these are three fun actors to get to play with such wonderfully realized characters — a tough, yet inexperienced agent full of idealism, and two old grizzled veterans who know a lot more than they are doling out to her.
As wonderful as the script and acting are, it is taken to the next level by Villeneuve and his team. Roger Deakins shot the film, and it is a glorious wonder of photography, whether up close and personal or in sweeping aerials. There’s plenty of canvas to work with too — we get to follow the principals around in a broad-daylight border crossing, and on through dark tunnels in a night raid. Complementing it is a pulsing, disquieting score by Jóhann Jóhannsson, who also scored PRISONERS, THEORY OF EVERYTHING, and FOXCATCHER to name a few. Villeneuve has shown before that he knows how to blend great visuals, music and acting to render enthralling scenes destined to become iconic, and this film is no exception.
SICARIO is the rare film that comes together in all the right ways: great writing, cinematography, acting, score, action, direction, meaningful subject matter that has weight, and a plot that has depth. There is plenty more to talk about, but to do so risks getting into spoiler territory. So I’ll stop there, and say just see it. I saw it at the Toronto International Film Festival, but it is already in limited release. It opens wide October 1.
- Copernicus (aka Andy Howell). Email me or follow me on Twitter.
