On a technical level, Denis Villeneuve’s cagey thriller is a
mesmeric spectacle of near perfection. Taut with a laser precision and
deafening focus, “Sicario” revolves around the work of a government task force,
policing the war on drugs at the U.S./Mexico border and their reluctant new
recruit Kate Macer (Emily Blunt). Suspicious from the start, Kate's fears grow
more and more intense as she’s plunged into legally questionable waters that
challenge her idealism to its very core. Left to question the black, white and
grey area where law enforcement collides with the criminal element, she is
forced to wrestle with the age old conundrum of whether the “end justifies the
means”. Kate’s odyssey into the tangled web of police politics proves a
harrowing ride that exacts more questions than it does answers. Enticing its
audience to inquiry about what they witness as much as its protagonist does.
Emily Blunt gives a strong performance as well, holding her own
against him and allowing her character to be as exposed in one breath as she is
defiant in the next. The aggravating nature of Kate's personality makes it hard for Blunt to
carve out the likable heroine, others would’ve been tempted to portray and that’s
part of what is so endearing about her take on the role. She’s not trying to be
likable; she’s trying to be real and she succeeds. Josh Brolin on the other
hand, overly relies on chewing gum with his mouth open to signify his
character’s unnerving foreboding. It’s a choice that irritates more than it
achieves the presumed effect.
“Sicario” reteams Villeneuve with famed cinematographer Roger Deakins, whom he collaborated with on the 2013 suspense drama “Prisoners”. As they proved in that film, their work together is visually seamless. Deakins brings a brooding prowess to every shot, creating a character within the film. This is made no more apparent than in a subplot that is intricately weaved throughout the movie. The mundane nature of what is shown isn’t necessarily movie worthy on paper but Deakins’ camera work and Villeneuve’s direction give the scenes an immense sense of dramatic weight. They are scenes which heavily recall a standout sequence in “Prisoners” wherein the camera lingers on Keller Dover’s “prepper” stockpile. It intimated a great deal about its lead character without saying anything at all and the same applies in "Sicario" on a larger scale.
As intense and immersive as “Sicario” can be, it finds
trouble with a narrative that reveals its conspiratorial leanings from the
start, never giving the sense that a veil was in need of lifting in the first place. Its
main character is distrustful from the beginning and her instinctive wariness,
borders on paranoia at first glance. She comes in with a chip on her shoulder and
with little cause to justify it. She immediately hones in with grave suspicion
against the quietly imposing, Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), whose only sin upon
their initial interactions is not being an overly expressive or open
individual. It’s difficult to relate to her obsessive distrust of him, without having
the context that as our heroine, she’s been exclusively vested with
preternatural powers of insight. Otherwise it is nearly irreconcilable.
While Blunt’s Kate is pushy, downbeat and grating,
Del Toro’s Alejandro is captivatingly mysterious with a dark edge that subtly
hints at an internal storm. It his character and Del Toro’s portrayal that
steals the show; imbuing “Sicario” with an air of electrifying intrigue that
would’ve otherwise been non-existent. Silent throughout most of the movie, Del
Toro proves why he is one of the few actors, who can handle the challenge. In
this rarified instance, words and exorbitant explanations would’ve been a waste
as his quiet performance singularly embodies the ominous bent of the film.
“Sicario” reteams Villeneuve with famed cinematographer Roger Deakins, whom he collaborated with on the 2013 suspense drama “Prisoners”. As they proved in that film, their work together is visually seamless. Deakins brings a brooding prowess to every shot, creating a character within the film. This is made no more apparent than in a subplot that is intricately weaved throughout the movie. The mundane nature of what is shown isn’t necessarily movie worthy on paper but Deakins’ camera work and Villeneuve’s direction give the scenes an immense sense of dramatic weight. They are scenes which heavily recall a standout sequence in “Prisoners” wherein the camera lingers on Keller Dover’s “prepper” stockpile. It intimated a great deal about its lead character without saying anything at all and the same applies in "Sicario" on a larger scale.
The highly publicized angle of the “Salt” style gender swap
of its lead character doesn’t necessarily impact “Sicario" one way or
another. The role
is so ambiguous on a gender level one could easily imagine either sex
taking it
on, as it's clear no changes were made to overtly feminize the character
during re-scripting. That said and to its credit, Kate isn’t shown
having impractical combat abilities. One fight scene in particular,
realistically
demonstrates her physical vulnerability against a male opponent with
greater accuracy than can be found in the recent
production of similar fare. This is a huge point in the film's favor, as
is the lack
of attention made to soften the character's rough edges in an effort to
make viewers more open to rooting for her.
Hidden agendas, clandestine finagling and grizzly gun
battles are all facets that comprise an articulate rumination on the
aforementioned puzzle of an “end justifies the means” philosophy.
Villeneuve
questions the corrosive tendency righteous pursuits can have on their
pursuer,
in a manner that probes without preaching and asks more than it answers,
provoking a stronger reaction from viewers than it might have otherwise
achieved.
“Sicario” meanders, daring to be slow to the point of tedium before
igniting in
its third act. The fact that act switches gears from one character to
another
to accomplish that fete gives a tip of the hat as to why it sets itself
up like it does. “Sicario” knows what it’s doing and when that notion
fully crystallizes,
its brilliance is pretty stunning to behold. Rating: 8.1/10