Sicario

Composite Score: 84

Starring: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Jon Bernthal, Victor Garber, Daniel Kaluuya, Julio Cesar Cedillo, and Maximiliano Hernández

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Writer: Taylor Sheridan

Genres: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, grisly images, and language

Box Office: $85.00 million worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                Sicario is the film collaboration between Denis Villeneuve and Taylor Sheridan about drugs at the border, starring Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benicio Del Toro. The film follows FBI Agent Kate Macer (Blunt) as she joins a task force headed by the morally ambiguous Matt Graver (Brolin) that also includes the presence of the enigmatic informer Alejandro (Del Toro) as they work to bring down the leaders of a large Mexican drug cartel whose operations have extended into the U.S. with violent consequences. The film received Oscar nominations for its sound editing, score (Jóhann Jóhannsson), and cinematography (Roger Deakins) and is also worth noting for its excellent use of tension throughout and strong performances from both Blunt and Del Toro in their respective roles.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                Sicario released after the peak of violence in the Mexican Drug War, meaning that a good portion of its content has not aged incredibly well. Particularly, its portrayal of rampant violence in Juarez (and implicitly other Mexican border cities) feels a little bit overblown to get a reaction from certain American viewers. Conflict between the Mexican government and drug cartels has been deescalating since the start of the 2010s, and this film has some surprisingly strong anti-immigration undertones when taken out of context. Villeneuve and Sheridan seem to have been trying to make a film about the ways that American border agents have become just as violent and corrupt as the cartels they supposedly want to fight, but the images of drug trafficking, hidden tunnels across the border, and illegal immigrants that cross the border again and again play very easily into the isolationist and aggressive campaigning of right-wing groups in the U.S.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                While Sicario’s critique of the American war on drugs, the policing of our border with Mexico, and the mistreatment of immigrants within American society might fall short in some places, it still excels as a film about the impact of violence and the cycle of violence that permeates so much of our world today. The story at the heart of Sicario is not really one of justice or fighting drug lords; it is a story of revenge – specifically, a man taking violent revenge on those who took his family from him in violent fashion with little to no regard for who else he might hurt in the process. It’s easy to ignore the cutaways to Maximiliano Hernández’s state police officer, Silvio, and his son and wife in Mexico, but without them, the film is just another revenge film, meant to entertain through violence without asking for much engagement from its audience about any of its deeper themes. However, once Silvio’s story crosses with the rest of the players in the film, the point of that storyline becomes clear – showcasing the sometimes unintended but no less permanent impact of answering violence with violence and perpetuating the cycle time and time again. It is a message for individuals and for governments to take to heart and learn from.

                Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of tension and action in Sicario to keep fans’ attention, but it’s not necessarily the point of the film. I do think that it contains one of the best examples of suspense in a single scene in film history in its second act, though. The first mission that Kate goes on with the task force is a prisoner exchange of a high-level informant, extraditing him from Mexico back to the U.S. to be questioned to learn about secret border crossings utilized by the cartels. From the time they arrive in Mexico to the final release of tension at the border crossing, suspense builds as the audience and Kate realize that violence is probably coming at some point during the operation – a belief only confirmed by Alejandro’s reassurances that the attack probably isn’t coming yet. The cinematography, music, and acting in this scene work in brilliant harmony to put the audience on edge right up to the moment of violence that marks the culmination of the scene and the true beginning of the film’s descent into the dark heart of the American war on drugs.

                With one of the best thriller sequences in film history, strong performances from its leads, award-worthy music and cinematography, and a poignant message about the nature of violence, it is easy to understand how Sicario continues to earn recognition as one of the Greatest Films of All Time. Its less-than-generous portrayals of the violence in Mexican border cities detracts somewhat from its overall message, but the way that the violence is used to critique the ones who allow it to continue helps it work despite its flaws. This film is currently available to stream with ads on Peacock or to rent on most other streaming services if you’d like to check it out in the near future.