Theatrical review. Possible spoilers. Anyone who has seen the movie or watches TV probably already knows that sicario is Spanish for “hitman” or an assassin for hire. The word originated from the Latin Sicarri which were Jewish Zealots who tried to oust the Romans from Judea. The Sicarii carried concealed, small daggers called sicae to exercise their lethal deeds. But enough of an ancient history lesson.

In this splendid thriller helmed by Denis Villeneuve (“Prisoners”), the title applies to a mysterious Columbian called Alejandro, brilliantly played by Benicio Del Toro (“Savages”). FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is assigned to a special inter-agency task force charged with getting the goods on the Mexican drug cartel operating near the border. She is surprised to find herself at an Air Force base in El Paso where she meets the leader of the group, Matt Graver (Josh Brolin). She is uncertain as to why her role, and that of her partner, Reggie (Daniel Kaluuya), seem to be just an observer. While not sure, she suspects that the task force is a dark ops group of the CIA which is legally prohibited from operating in the U. S. The FBI provides legal cover.

But Graver has no intention of giving Kate and Reggie information as to what is really going on. Kate is uncomfortable with the whole idea but believes in the mission after a gruesome discovery in found inside the U. S. The film is profane, violent and second guesses what is right and wrong. Del Toro’s performance is award worthy. He’s scary as hell, yet his character is modulated and highly focused. His scenes with the equally good Blunt, as the idealistic agent, are some of the best I’ve seen this year. In fact, the movie is one of the best I’ve seen all year.Read more ›

Denis Villeneuve burst onto the scene in 2013 with his chilling American directorial debut “Prisoners”, and later cemented himself as a director-to-watch with last year’s “Enemy”. Both films are excellent, and treat the audience as the smart moviegoers they are, letting them freely infer and fill in the blanks when it comes to things that aren’t fully spelled out. So it should come as no surprise that his latest effort “Sicario” succeeds in much the same way. This time he’s teaming up with the likes of Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benicio Del Toro, who prove to be a fascinating trio in this slow-building thriller.

The film follows Kate Macer (Blunt), an FBI agent eager to make a difference after several members of her team are killed while searching a home containing evidence linked to a prominent Mexican drug cartel. She volunteers to help search for the men responsible as part of a special task force led by supposed Defense Department contractor Matt Graver and his mysterious partner Alejandro Gillick (Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro). But things begin to get messy and many of Kate’s preconceptions are shattered quickly. We trail her on this spellbinding journey of moral ambiguity and blatant violence, and her perspective is what makes the majority of it so surprising.

The thing that struck me immediately about the picture was the astonishing cinematography, which was beautifully done by the legendary Roger Deakins (most known for his work on films like “Fargo” and “No Country for Old Men”). When paired with the superb acting from each and every cast member, you get a knockout of a movie. Emily Blunt is the true stand out here, and seeing her lead the film after so many great supporting roles is extremely satisfying. This is undoubtedly one of my favorite films of the year so far, and continues to grow on me the more I think about it.

I have waited ever so patiently to see this movie. When I saw the trailer earlier this year, I did research on the movie which led me to discover that director Denis Villeneuve (who also directed 2013's Prisoners and Enemy) also directed Sicario. Not surprisingly, his movie Sicario is not only suspenseful and thrilling, but it delivers some outstanding performances.

From the moment Sicario starts we see Emily Blunt's character Kate Macer graces the screen with a fearless but alert mindset. Josh Brolin's character Matt Graver is one you never are sure whether or not if you should trust. And while both Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin are terrific in their respectable roles, one has to truly appreciate the dark and serious portrayal of Alejandro by actor Benicio Del Toro. His character is both towering and intimidating by all means, and I would not be at all surprised to see his name pop up come awards season.

Even better, the story of Sicario is easy to follow. Mind you, Sicario is not one of those non-stop action films, but because it mixes suspense, action, and plots the scenarios with the Mexican Cartel/FBI in a believable way. I can not help but to applaud Denis Villeneuve for the crafting this timely and well shot thriller that is Sicario. Make no mistake, if you are looking for a thrilling time at the movies, then look no further than Sicario. Great cast, believable story, and brilliantly directed.

My Consensus: GO SEE Sicario

Is the rule of law necessary to be applied in all activity that humans engage in when proofs of death are obvious, and laws are ignored with impunity? Kate is a true believer in that black and white lines must be clear and for there to be a just existence. It is difficult for this type of person to accept the grey areas that can't be touched by laws, but have to be allowed to continue. Blurred lines of distinction are hard to accept for Kate. There must be a means within the law to deal with every deviation in Kate's sense of a perfect reality. Dealing in the shadows is not easy for her, but the realization of the shadows darkness in her world exists and must be dealt with is something that Kate, with time, must accept into a reality that she didn't know the depth and saturation of.