Emily Blunt's Performance is Exceptional

Rating: 9/10 (8 December 2016)

After being thoroughly impressed by 'Prisoners', and following the release of 'Arrival', I wanted to watch some of Dennis Villeneuve's other successful films to gain an understanding of his distinct style of filmmaking as preparation to watching 'Arrival'. This, like 'Prisoners', has once again left me very much in love with his approach to directing.
Sicario follows the story of Kate, who has been sent by the FBI to track down a drug lord, responsible for the killings of countless civilians, including some of her own team. We observe how she deals with not only the brutality of the people she is trying to arrest, but also the people she made the regrettable decision to work with, who take matters into their own hands, ignoring the jurisdictions of law.
Dennis Villeneuve made the right decision to cast Emily Blunt as the lead protagonist; an actress I believe is well suited to roles such as these. What I find most captivating about this film, is the way in which the subtlety of Blunt's performance leads to a fresh perspective on working within the conditions of such an extreme environment. What you do not see in this film is exaggerated acting, a cheap tactic, often used to draw attention to what is being reacted to, and instead you are met with raw emotion, subtlety, and a frankly more powerful means of conveying the message of the film. The way Emily Blunt has taken on the role of someone who is faced with such extreme barbarism works well, and her role is key in the success of this film.
Being a fairly slow film for some, the way Villeneuve strips away distractions and keeps us engaged is extraordinary. I found myself entranced by the scenes in which he decided to keep the camera focused on the actor's reaction to something without cutting away. It seems as though the longer the shot is focused on the actor, the more suspense is built up. These scenes were by far one of the best aspects of the film. Like I talked about in the previous paragraph, the subtlety of the acting, paired with Villeneuve's will to keep the camera focused on the actors is an good example of first class directing.
The way Alejandro Gillick's character evolves through the film is certainly notable. In the beginning, he chooses not to reveal much about himself, to the dismay of Kate, who repeatedly makes the effort to extract information from him. For the most part of the film, I couldn't decide if he was a protagonist or an antagonist, and there were times where my perception of the character swayed, ultimately remaining unsure. For example, his unconventional and often detrimental means of handling situations like Kate pointing her weapon at him was met with the fact that he was making these choices because of his determination to kill the man who murdered his wife and daughter. As an audience, our perception of Alejandro fluctuates throughout, yet takes an immediate demise at the point at which he threatens to kill Kate if she doesn't sign the paper declaring that everything they did was legal. Prior to this, there was never any consequence to the lead protagonist directly from Alejandro, with times where he had saved her life, but at this stage in the film, all that changes, and we are left seriously reconsidering the well-being of Kate.
Aside from these points, the way this film was directed, filmed, and acted left me consistently engaged, with me trying to work out the direction of the plot, and being constantly surprised by the outcome to a seemingly simple yet complex narrative.