Sicario

Based on a true story, Director Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario is a grim (with a capital G) crime thriller that has the tone, if not also, the look of the TV series The Bridge.

It is a struggle between a “letter of the law” FBI agent (Emily Blunt) and “spirit of the law” CIA agent (Josh Brolin) in trying to bring to justice those responsible for using the walls of an Arizona house as burial sites for 42 victims. 

 

For a good while Writer Taylor Sheridan’s screenplay leaves us wondering what is happening.  But, this works very well,  since Blunt’s character is just as clueless as we are and we learn along with her that the reason she’s been assigned to Brolin’s team has to do with the fact the CIA can’t act within the U.S. borders unless it is in liaison with the FBI.  She, therefore, is a foil. 

The one on the team, who doesn’t care anything about the law, is Benicio Del Toro’s character, who is only bent on revenge for the gruesome killings of his wife and child.

Sicario is an extremely exciting and well-done film, but I warn you that it is not for the faint of heart.

My only problem with it was my expectation, after seeing her kick ass in Edge of Tomorrow, that Emily would be kicking ass in this film, instead of being the straight arrow.  In this kind of war, ”letters,” sometimes are best held up in the post office.  

I give Sicario a 4.4 out of 5.