'SICARIO' REVIEW - THIS IS THE LAND OF WOLVES

YOU ARE NOT A WOLF. 

This is the land of wolves.

[Alejandro to Kate]

After watching 'Mad Max: Fury Road' I was convinced that I wouldn't see another five star film this year. I was wrong. Flawlessly directed by Denis Villeneuve ('Enemy' and 'Prisoners'), 'Sicario' draws you in with the very first scene of Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) and her partner Reggie Wayne (Daniel Kaluuya) leading a FBI kidnap recovery team into a den of death right on American soil. Their team uncovers a cartel house in suburban Arizona that has 42 bodies buried in the walls. It's a sickening sight that only gets worse as the film wears on. From the moment the swat team bursts into the hell house until the final scene, there is a palatable tension laced throughout the film. The terror is so tangible that I sat on the edge of my seat as if I were watching a horror movie, because that's what 'Sicario' feels like...a horror movie with real-life monsters.

YOU'RE ASKING ME HOW THE WATCH IS MADE.

For now just keep your eye on the time.

[Alejandro to Kate]

Kate and Reggie are basically "door kickers." Each time they kick one down another door pops up. They're  putting bandaids on open bullet wounds and not making much of a difference against the cartel. When an opportunity presents itself for Kate to work with an elite unit that brings the fight to the cartel, she takes it. Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) serves as a "U.S. Department of Defense liaison," but in reality he's a CIA operative with a hired assassin Alejandro, brilliantly portrayed by Benicio Del Toro. Matt is reluctant to trust Reggie, as Reggie has a law degree. He tells the Arizona FBI Office that "there are no lawyers needed" on these excursions.

YOU'RE NOT AMERICAN.

Who do you work for now?

[Kate to Alejandro]

Matt takes Kate into the heart of the beast, Juarez, Mexico, where it's so deadly that the U.S. Marshalls have to be escorted by Delta Force operatives, who are in turn escorted by the Mexican Federales. The unit gets into a fire fight with cartel operatives attempting to prevent them from taking the cartel boss' brother (or cousin I can't remember which). It's Kate's first glimpse of the CIA's deep involvement in the drug war and one that she doesn't like the taste of.

I'M NOT A SOLDIER. 

This is not what I do.

[Kate to Matt]

Kate is a good FBI agent desperately trying to navigate the waters between legal and illegal, whereas Matt and Alejandro try to invent ways to break the law. Kate is never quite sure of the CIA's murky motives until the very end of the film and by that time it's too late. The dynamics of having a woman embedded in this world of alpha males was a unique perspective, which would have been diminished had the producers got their way and made Kate's role male. 'Sicario' does not pass the Bechdel test but it succeeds where so many other films fail by making Blunt's character vulnerable but tough, frightened, yet competent. A lesser film would have tried to create a romance between Kate and Alejandro, but script writer Taylor Sheridan knew better. The developing relationship between them is tender, but is not sexual.

YOU SAW THINGS

You shouldn't have seen. 

[Matt to Kate]

Another interesting aspect about 'Sicario' is how the violence is handled. I don't like seeing gratuitous violence in films. In fact, I avoid violent movies. What was so surprising was that in a film about a drug cartel, most of the violence in 'Sicario' takes place off screen. It's a very smart move on the part of the director. There are some horrific scenes, which show the aftereffects, but for the most part the violence is not shown and it doesn't need to be. The threat of violence and danger is always present and that's what's chilling.

THE CIA IS NOT SUPPOSED

To work this side of the fence. 

[Reggie to Kate]

Del Toro's performance as the deadpan brutal hitman is exquisite: his timing, his mannerisms, his eyes, everything. When you discover the heinous loss he endured, one could almost understand why Alejandro became what he did. Blunt is exceptional as well. A lesser actor wouldn't have been able to capture the subtle nuances of Kate's descent into darkness. Brolin is great too, but Del Toro steals every scene he's in. I would note that Blunt and Del Toro appeared together previously in 'Wolfman,' which I totally forgot about. Their chemistry together was quite good. The music is also exceptional and eerie, setting the dour mood. Perhaps the main star of the film is Villeneuve's direction, which is impeccable. From the sweeping aerial scenes, to the 'Zero Dark Thirty' gun battles, to the waves of emotion overwhelming the characters, Villeneuve doesn't miss a beat. 'Sicario' is a riveting thriller and certainly one of the best films of the year.

FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS