Violent and Thought-provoking work of art

Rating: 9/10 (1 January 2016)

Sicario is about Kate (Emily Blunt), a rising FBI agent that volunteers for a government task force charged with controlling the US/Mexico drug war. With the shady legality of the escalating actions of this government task force, Kate begins to doubt whether or not she's the right person for this war on drugs. Sicario is violent and thought- provoking, a rare combination that left me entertained but also thinking about the hard questions Sicario is not afraid to ask.
Emily Blunt plays Kate and once again proves that she can carry a film. Her character is strong-willed but is pushed to brink with the many morally questionable actions this task force begins to take. Her mental and physical deterioration serves as an emotional anchor for the audience to latch onto while the brutal actions of Sicario unfold.
Benicio Del Toro also gives a great performance as Alejandro, a secretive agent to this government task force. His character is damaged, and Del Toro does a great of conveying the darkness Alejandro possesses. Alejandro is also a very unique character and is one of the most memorable aspects of the film. Josh Brolin is in this film, but the more and more I see from him, the less I am impressed. Brolin comes across very one-note in terms of his performances, and this is once again the case as he plays the leader of the government task force. He isn't bad but is very forgettable.
The border war on drugs is ugly, and violent, and Sicario doesn't hold anything back. This film is directed by Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Enemy), and he is one of my favorite directors working today. He again collaborated with 12 time Oscar-nominee cinematographer Roger Deakins for Sicario, and together they capture the brutal nature of the war on drugs without any gimmicks. There's no shaky, hand-held camera capturing the action, and there isn't an overuse of cuts during the intense sequences. The shocking action is seen perfectly clear, which is sharply contrasted to the moral uncertainty of the characters on both the American and Mexican sides.
Mexicans are not just the bad guys, and Americans are not just the good guys. Sicario does such a great job of presenting all these characters on both sides and letting the audience decide for themselves who are the real "bad" guys. While Sicario makes you question the characters' moral decisions, it also brings up an important questions that comes with the border drug war. Do the ends justify the means? Questions like this kept me contemplating the film's stunning events long after its initial runtime.
One gripe I do have with the film is it gets exposition heavy at points, particularly near the end. Sicario tells a great story and I wish the filmmakers would have trusted the audience a little more to understand what was going on rather than spoon-feeding information.
Sicario is an adrenaline rush from start to finish, with standout performances from Blunt and Del Torro. This combined with thought- provoking storytelling makes for one of the best films of the year. Keep an eye on the film during award season. So if you were on the fence (pun intended), make the leap and go see this film.