What does the greater good cost?

Rating: 8/10 (22 January 2016)

Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is a dedicated FBI Agent who is determined to do whatever it takes to bring down the men responsible for not only the grisly murder of almost 40 men and women found in abandoned house, but also for the deaths of two FBI agents. A disciplined and by the books agent, Macer and her partner Reggie (Daniel Kaluuya), are given just that chance when a mysterious man by the name of Matt Gracer (Josh Brolin) offers them both a chance to join an inter agency task force.
However, it quickly becomes apparent that not everything is as seems when another stranger named Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) joins the team and adds his own special ""skills" to the investigation. And, what once seemed like a legal and sanctioned operation, soon turns into some far darker than either Kate or Reggie expected. When deaths begin to add up, and the number of laws broken increase, Kate in particular will find her conscious tested. Kate believes very much in the greater good, but what is supposed to do when the doing the greater good means committing crimes and possibly undermining everything she claims to believe in?
Sicario is a rare crime movie that isn't too brainless or simply concerned about gun violence or cheap action sets. The scenes are believable for the subject as are the dark politics that drive the plot forward. Benicio Del Toro is especially well suited for the quiet Alejandro who one moment is a friend to Kate and then a threat in the next. Alejandro could have simply be another traditional Hollywood hit man, but instead we find something more human in him which is rare considering his character type.
If there is one minor complaint that needs to be made it is that Emily Blunt seems a little wasted in this film. She simply isn't give much to do except scowl and question everything around her. Any actress could have been given this role and indeed it could have served as a jumping off point for a new actress instead of simply being a standard project for an already established one.