'Sicario' Movie Review: Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro Give Great Performances
Ever since Denis Villeneuve's film "Incendies" was nominated for the Academy Award, the director has become a mainstay in Hollywood. In 2013, the director gave audiences "Prisoners," a heart pounding mystery thriller; 2014 audiences saw a different side of Villeneuve with the experimental film "Enemy." This year, the director returns with "Sicario," a slow burn thriller that is both suspenseful and intelligent and features great performances from its A-List cast.
"Sicario" tells the story of Kate (Emily Blunt), an idealistic FBI agent who volunteers for an elected government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.
The movie opens with a tense raid on a Phoenix house that is owned by a drug cartel and has kidnapped prisoners. The sequence is shot with a slow moving camera revealing each detail of the scene and allowing for tension to build up until it climaxes with the police finding 42 dead carcasses behind the walls and a huge explosion. This sequence sets up what is to come as Villeneuve makes sure to build each set piece with the same type of slow pacing that never fails to surprise but also ensures sufficient suspense and unpredictable outcomes.
This is enhanced through the lens of Roger Deakins, who shoots each scene within frames. Kate's character is always framed within a door or mirror and she is on the outside. Someone is always behind her as if she is always one step behind everyone else or as if she is trapped in this mission that she is scared of.
There is a scene in her apartment when Villeneuve and Deakins frame her behind curtains completely engulfed by them. This is also expressed when she is on her first mission in Juarez when all the officers get out of the car but Kate decides to stay in it. Everything she sees is through a mirror and she is always framed inside the car.
But Deakins and Villeneuve's work goes beyond these frames within frames. During the climatic mission, Deakins chooses to shoot the film through the night vision goggles creating an uncertainty especially since the audience is unable to see everything that is going on. Villeneuve cuts each shot in a very slow manner always following a different character.
There are also some beautiful magic hour shots that really emphasize the beautiful terrain of the border but also create an oppressive and dark background for the film.
The music by Johann Johannsson is also a standout in the movie as he uses a booming bass sound to create an ominous tone emphasizing the dark qualities but also highlighting the surprising elements to the film.
The cast is also outstanding. Emily Blunt's Kate is a strong FBI agent who constantly questions her superiors Alejandro and Matt and repeatedly tries to uphold the law. However, Blunt's best moments are those of vulnerability, especially her last scene which is very revealing and demonstrates that character's weaknesses and her powerlessness.
Benicio del Toro is a wonder and it's great that he gets to showcase his bilingual skills. But beyond that his Alejandro is a mystery from the beginning, which keeps the audience guessing. At one point he is a suave-talking officer and the next is that he will torture anyone with cold blood in order to get the answers he needs. It is a terrific performance that in one moment one feels sympathy and the next one feels anger.
Josh Brolin is also terrific as Matt and Daniel Kaluuya adds some much needed levity in his scenes with Blunt's Kate.
It's great to see a movie that does not take sides on the issue of the drug cartel. In many ways Villeneuve shows both perspectives of the horrors of the drug but also shows the disgusting police efforts that sometimes prove amoral.
For example, he establishes a Mexican family, in which a son is extremely attached to his father and always looks forward to seeing him and playing soccer. This family is a symbol of many other Mexican families who most likely suffer through loss and poverty. Meanwhile, Villeneuve gives the FBI and CIA a brutal force that is softened by Kate, the idealist.
With "Sicario," Villeneuve has scored yet another success and it sure to be one of the best films of the year.
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