Sicario - DVD

A fellow reviewer wrote about Sicario with Emily Blunt a couple of months ago and triggered my interest in seeing the film when it came out of DVD. Boy, I’m definitely glad I took his advice. I’ve already watched it twice during the past twenty-four hours, and the ending is one those that will haunt you for a lifetime. Emily Blunt (The Adjustment Bureau and The Edge of Tomorrow) plays an FBI agent who volunteers to be part of a government mission that’s going after a particular drug lord. The question is why was she picked and not her partner? The movie opens up with Blunt and a team of SWAT and FBI officers driving an armored vehicle into the house that’s owned by the drug cartel. The officials don’t find any drugs, but they do accidentally discover the bodies of thirty-five murdered victims with plastic bags wrapped tightly around their heads in the walls of the hallway and some of the rooms. The government mission is run by a CIA agent (Josh Brolin) who plays his character with a good-old boy mentality and a genuine smile of someone who’s happy and content with their job. You only time you see him dead serious is near the end of the movie when Blunt discovers the real reason behind the mission and why she was chosen to be in the group. The consultant to the group is a former Mexican prosecutor, who’s played by Benicio Del Toro. This is a man whose wife had her head cut off and his daughter tossed into a vat of acid by the drug cartel. Everything about this job is personal to him. And, when he’s let loose at the end, he kills everyone in his sight. It reminded me a little bit of his role in The Hunt with Tommy Lee Jones. This man not only knows how to kill, he’s also an expert at torture and doesn’t hold back when confronting the bad guys. I should also point out that in a number of scenes Benicio looks an awful lot like Brad Pitt. The film is marvelously directed by Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners and The Enemy), who seems to capture each actor’s nuance and subtle expression, suggesting that what is happening is nothing more than the tip of the iceberg. The fuse has been lit and is quickly working its way down to the explosion. With the help of his entire cast and writer, Taylor Sheridan, Mr. Villeneuve creates a film that is literally a masterpiece in its genre. There aren't many films that I watch twice during a 24-hour period, but this is definitely one...one that I want to see a third time. A female friend of mine who is an ex-cop told me that she wasn’t really interested in watching a “shoot-them-up” cop action movie. I told her more about the film, explaining that it is something entirely different than what she might expect. The movie probes the inner blackness of humanity and what we’re willing to do to combat evil. That’s clearly one of the things that makes this movie so dramatic with its realistic look at the violent world of the drug cartels both here and in Mexico. Sometimes the only way to fight evil is with an even greater evil. Roger Deakins (the cinematographer who did The Shawshank Redemption and Skyfall) does a tremendous job with Sicario, showing the beauty of sunsets and sunrises minutes before the killing begins. One shot really awed me when Emily Blunt is taken up to the top of a building on an Air Force base by a Delta Force commando to see some fireworks. The sun is just setting in the background as a wide angle lens is used for the primary shot. Of course, the fireworks are nothing more than the loud shootouts taking place across the border in Juarez. The music by Johann Johannsson is somewhat like a heartbeat as it picks up speed during the intense scenes, and then slows down during the slower sequences. When it gets going, it’s almost like a pounding beat that grips your mind and refuses to let go until the scene has finished. It’s mesmerizing in its tempo and adds to the rhythm of the film. . All in all, a fantastic film that certainly deserves its 5-star rating.

This movie really captures the suspense and primal essence of the violence. Wow.

Sicario in Spanish is roughly equivalent to "hitman" or "assassin" in English. In this film named "Sicario", an FBI agent portrayed by Emily Blunt is asked to take part in a government anti-drug "task force" run by a shadowy government agent (Josh Brolin) and employing an even more shadowy "consultant" plaued by Benicio Del Toro. Asked to participate in a "task force", FBI agent Emily Blunt finds herself out of her league and out of her experience when taking down Mexican cartel drug lords on both sides of the border. Accustomed to the rigid regulations the FBI and domestic law enforcement operates under, she is thrust into situations where the rules are played fast-and-loose and torture and assassination are employed. The characters are well played by Emily Blunt as the somewhat naive FBI agent and Josh Brolin as the CIA agent commanding the task force. Benicio Del Toro plays the enigmatic "Alejandro" who is the "sicario" and, although it's never stated clearly, was perhaps once a Mexican prosecutor or law enforcement official whose family was murdered by the drug cartels. The film is well acted, well directed, with excellent cinematography and score. This is a first-rate thriller in every sense of the word.

This movie is very much deserve to watch & being appreciated. It is depicting the actual life of real people in law enforcement that are trying hard by putting their own life in danger to protect this country from drug dealers of their kind. This type of movie should be played frequently for all those who are denying the efficacy of these good people & the honest work that they are doing for our safety. Thank you all.

Great suspense movie in current topic context. Super cast and plot produced and shot so well. Not for those bothered by violence which is presented in context to the subject. Great music and sound mix. One of my favorites.

Epic music and cinematography. The atmosphere maintains a dark and ominous cast throughout. The gunfights are extremely well planned and choreographed for accuracy.

Great movie.

Falls in with the very few good movies of the 21st Century, like... The Departed The Royal Tenenbaums Casino Royale No Country For Old Men The Ninth Gate 300 Emma (2020) First Reformed Etc.

Quick delivery. Item as described. Happy with purchase.

Dark and gritty cynical look at border politics excellent film but be ready it is violent