Deliciously dark thriller

Rating: 7/10 (18 November 2015)

I must confess this is my first time watching a Villeneuve film. I've heard good things about his films, but Sicario is my entry point. Not that it matters, because either way, Sicario is a damn fine film, a slow burn thriller of the highest order.
In a dusty American suburban neighborhood (think Breaking Bad), FBI agent Kate Macer raid a house and discover a grisly scene: corpses in the walls wrapped in plastic sheets. Not only that, but two agents end up dead when they 'discover' an IED in the nearby shed. Shortly after, Kate is recruited by Matt Graver, a strangely confident CIA officer. He'll be leading a Delta Force group to find the men really responsible for the tragedy that has occurred. Because of her idealism, she joins the mission. They're also accompanied by another mysterious figure, Alejandro, an 'advisor'. Kate, however, is kept pretty much in the dark on what they're doing. First of all, although Matt said they'll be going to El Paso, they're actually going to Juarez. Kate becomes frustrated at Matt's flagrant disregard of protocol and finds it increasingly hard to help Matt simply because she's told they're doing the right thing.
Sicario isn't interested so much in the war on drugs as in the people that wage it. Throughout the film, we get a better idea of how it's not all about fighting crime and fighting the war on drugs for these people. Some relish the thought of killing an enemy while others like Alejandro hide more personal motives. The film also deals with notions of how to fight this war. Kate would prefer to do it by the book, but Matt would argue the only way to really hurt these criminals is to go outside the book.
There are physical borders, of course, but the film deals with all kinds of borders and how quickly these borders blur and lines get crossed. Some characters don't want to be on the side they're on, while others pretend they're on one side. Some do what they do because they believe it's the right thing while others do what they do because they have to. Time and again in this film people are told that what they're doing is the right thing, whether it's for the sake of one's family or for 'the greater good'. Usually, this ends up meaning very little and people always end up getting killed.
The action scenes are a terrific bunch. They're executed with a clinical precision that reminds me of Zero Dark Thirty and the Bourne trilogy. Especially the climactic action set piece is so sparsely filmed that every single bullet fired scares you shitless. There's something terrifying yet fascinating about watching a character go from point a to b, dispatching enemies left and right, in as brutal yet clinical fashion as seen here.
If the film has a weakness, it's pacing. We know the operation is building to a final mission, but it takes the entire film to get there and we lose interest because we're kept in the dark too much. I can't count on two hands the scenes where Blunt or her colleague ask Graver and Alejandro what they're really doing here only to be stonewalled, ending up walking back to their car all angry-like. The ending makes up for it, but it's still a valid criticism.
Sicario is tight in terms of acting. Blunt and Brolin are fine, but it's Del Toro who truly shines. He is all melancholy, yet icy stares and zero words. He speaks occasionally, but it's his face that conveys so much yet hides so many secrets. I'm told Del Toro insisted much of his dialogue be cut and his background kept a secret longer to add to his mystique. Del Toro ends up playing a crucial role and ends up taking Sicario to the next level. I hope the film can maintain some momentum during awards season so that at least Del Toro will end up a supporting actor nominee at the Oscars.
Sicario is a terrifically dark and poetic thriller. It manages to paint a complex portrait of the war on drugs and the people involved in a mere two hours all the while tying a nice action-wrapped bow around it.