Sicario.

Rating: 8/10 (19 September 2015)

Sicario opens in Arizona. A still frame interrupted by the entry of a U.S. task force creeping into the picture, ready to raid a hideout run by a Mexican drug cartel. Right from the opening, Roger Deakins orchestrates some of the year's (even the decade's) most powerful and articulate images, under the careful eye of Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Enemy, Incendies). The images are haunting and violent, yet incredibly mesmerising. This is where the film draws its powerhouse gut-punch from; frames that will stick with you even after the final credits have rolled.
So what do we find at the hideout? Corpses. Decomposing bodies lined up and stuffed within the walls. Don't worry, I'm not giving to much away, for this is merely the exposition of Villeneuve's best film yet. Here we meet Kate Macer (Emily Blunt), an excellent FBI agent who's almost met by death within the first five minutes of the film. No one's safe in Villeneuve's world, and we're reminded of that constantly throughout the intense ride.
Shocked by the discovery of the corpses, and won over by the promise of justice against those responsible for this horror; Macer volunteers to assist in a joint government task force in taking down a Mexican Cartel leader. Now, the War on Drugs/Inter-American drug trade has served as a canvas for many, many artists to lay their brush upon and share the horrors of the matter. But very few manage to encapsulate this theme so wonderfully, and provide as much of an exhilarating experience, as Sicario. Taylor Sheridan's screenplay is tight, tense and reminiscent of Boal's 'Zero Dark Thirty' screen writing, in that he's able to allow the story to constantly flow even when our protagonist steps out of the picture. Blunt's kickass screen presence can be seen at times as if echoing Chastain's dynamite performance in Zero Dark Thirty, whilst letting rip further on as if channelling Linda Hamilton's badass role as 'Sarah Connor'. Her expressive face is loved by Deakins' camera, and only further adds to the horror of the film's situations. In a world of violence and corruption, Blunt's do-good nature pumps a sense of hope through the film's veins. It's a stellar performance, but she's also surrounded by an award-worthy ensemble cast.
The leader of the government operation, Matt Graver (Brolin in another damn fine role), is a far more relaxed sandal-wearing figure who suggests Macer ought to loosen up a little bit. Brolin brings a swaggering smart ass element to the role, to act as the perfect juxtaposition to his associate, Alejandro (Benincio Del Toro). It's difficult to imagine anyone playing 'stone-cold killer' like Del Toro does (except maybe for Javier Bardem), but here, he matches his award winning role in Soderbergh's "Traffic" (funnily enough another film focused on drug cartels). As the film progresses, Macer's frustration builds, as she attempts to find the secrets that Matt and Alejandro are clearly not divulging. There's a mysterious quality present throughout most of the film, under-cut by superbly directed action scenes throughout. Your heart will undoubtedly start racing as you sit through an intense border crossing sequence.
Johann Johannsson's score is another exciting driving force upon which the film is carried. Never overbearing or obnoxious, the score is dark and foreboding, it's perfect. The film itself isn't 'perfect'; it could be argued that the story feels overly familiar (which I've read some have stated, mainly due to the subject matter) but I honestly feel that the approach isn't. Villeneuve's direction is much stronger here than in any of his previous works, and his ability to balance the main trio throughout most of the film's duration, is an achievement. It feels pretty damn real. It's tense, nervy and incredibly well made. Sicario means "Hitman" is Spanish. With Villeneuve as our "Sicario", you won't know what's hit you.