Sicario Review

Sicario is an action/crime film that comes to us directed by Denis Villeneuve who some may know for his directorial work on Prisoners (2013).  The film stars Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin. Sicario is about an FBI agent who joins a special government task force with their mission being, to lend aid to the US side of the war on drugs on the US/Mexico border.

Sicario Trailer

Sicario Review

Sicario is one of this year’s must see films, not only does it have some of this decades biggest stars, but it’s also one of Denis Villeneuve’s greatest films so far in his career. It’s not often that I advise the readers on the site to go out and see something for the directing, but this film is definitely one of those times.

Villeneuve’s camera work is phenomenal all the way through the film from the beginning to the end. In almost every scene the camera is always so well placed that you do really feel like you’re part of the action. What’s even better is Villeneuve’s use of tone, there’s some director’s out there that handle a films tone quite poorly, with it changing multiple times throughout a film. But not Villeneuve, no way! We get this dark, realistic, violent tone that is so tense that you can’t help but be drawn into this film. Added into this mix of camera positioning and tense tone is a great soundtrack over the top of the more suspense heavy scenes which is likely to captivate any audience member right from the start.

The film only really has one fault and it’s nothing to do with the film itself, but likely the tastes of the audience members watching it. Sicario is fairly violent and its tone does not let you rest for one moment. For some it may be a bit too much, especially if you prefer lighthearted action films. But for many out there, this will be a perfect film experience and will surely entertain those who enjoy this type of film. If you enjoyed watching Villeneuve’s Prisoners, you’ll likely have a great time with this.

Characters are incredibly interesting and very well written. Our main character Kate (Emily Blunt), is this very idealistic, good female cop, who seems to be placed in a world of policing that is way beyond her depth. It’s shocking throughout the film what she has to go through and the development of her character as she goes through the case was very interesting to see. But Benicio Del Toro is really one to watch as well, his performance is excellent and he’s very scary on screen, with his performance really standing out in this film, it was great.

Overall everyone should go out and see Sicario as soon as they can, especially if you enjoy a serious action/crime film. Denis Villeneuve’s directing is phenomenal in this and Sicario is easily one of his best films to date, hopefully many more great things can come from this director in the coming years. The actors all put in a solid performance with Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro being the ones to watch, with great scenes for both of them throughout the film.