Sicario
CAST
Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro
RATING
R
RELEASE
Setpember 18, 2015 (NY/LA)
October 2, 2015 (WIDE)
DIRECTOR
Denis Villevenue
STUDIO
Lionsgate
RUNNING TIME
2 hours 1 minute
STARS
***1/2
REVIEW:
Director Denis Villevenue has tackled some fascinating and haunting subjects in his films, with his two most recent works "Prisoners" and "Enemy" receiving mass acclaim. With the movie "Sicario," Villevenue tackles yet another fascinating and haunting subject: the drug cartel. Emily Blunt is the main focus of the movie, playing an FBI agent recruited by a small sector of the Department of Defense to help maintain control and possibly end the war on drugs between the US and Mexico. This is a movie that is grand in scope, yet the story and characters make it all feel enclosed and more intimate. Cinematographer Roger Deakins shot this movie beautifully, with some of the imagery featured on screen being more haunting than any horror movie to have come out this year. Composer Johann Johannson creates a looming and beautiful score that helps give the movie one hell of a depressing vibe to it. Taylor Sheridan, a writer best known for his TV credits including "Sons of Anarchy," created a gloomy and sad world along with fascinating characters, some more flawed than others. Villevenue brings his directorial flare to this story, and though this is my least favorite of his films, his style is clearly present and he brings his A-game to the film.
The performances, particularly from the three leads, are all quite stellar. Everyone brings everything they have to their roles and altogether make up an incredible ensemble cast. As much as I'm praising this movie, there were some problems I had with it. When the movie drags, to me it really dragged. Sometimes it was effective, yet other times it wasn't. There were some points where the movie as a whole got a tad confusing and hard to follow. Luckily I was never fully lost from the general story. The biggest problem I have with the movie is a subplot involving a corrupt Mexican cop and his family. In my eyes, it didn't need to be in the movie at all. Had it been omitted entirely, I don't think the movie would have been as slow, nor do I think the quality of the film itself would have been affected negatively. If anything, I might have enjoyed the movie more had this subplot not been in there. Despite the gripes I had with it, it's hard to deny how intense and gripping of a film "Sicario" is overall. It's an intense, well-acted, and well-made movie that is never happy in the slightest. Although movies are usually supposed to be an escape from our worries and make us feel good, it's important for filmmakers to challenge us and make us feel gloomy and upset over something that's actually happening somewhere else in the world. For that alone, I would highly recommend checking this one out.
PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:
The Revenant
Spectre
Steve Jobs
Bridge of Spies
Our Brand Is Crisis
The Last Witch Hunter
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