"Nothing will make sense to your American ears and you will question everything we do, but in the end you will understand"

Rating: 9/10 (18 August 2017)

That quote is one of the things Alejendro (Benicio Del Toro's character) says to Kate Macer (Emily Blunt's character) at the beginning of the film and it really sums up this film perfectly as the viewer is basically in the same position as Kate in regards to understanding what is going on in this film and as a result, you really do question everything that is going on and you really don't understand everything until the end. Honestly, this is one of the best drug related movies I have seen in a very long time!!
I don't want to give any spoilers away as to do so would be a crime to the people that haven't seen this film yet. Its got an absolutely fantastic script and the directing and cinematography are both absolutely off the hook brilliant. One of the things that stood out the most for me was just how amazing the control of tension was in this film. There is a scene in the beginning where the team crosses over to Juarez Mexico to pick up a high level drug detainee and brings him back across to the US. It was roughly 10-15 minutes of the movie and the tension in that scene just builds and builds throughout the entire scene. It was just a masterfully crafted sequence of the film, in every single aspect of film making, and the film only gets better and better from there.
The cinematography in general was just absolutely brilliant throughout the entire film. The car scene I just mentioned in the beginning, the amazing aerial photography shot on the border and in the city of Juarez, and in particular the use of satellite imagery, drone imagery, and the use of night vision photography towards the end of the film. They even use security camera footage. Its just a masterful blending of a whole slew of different photographic tools and styles and it really helps give the film a sense of realism and really helps put you in the shoes of Kate and the team. I'm a professional photographer so I tend to focus on cinematography more than your average film goer, but this cinematography is so well done that I think most movie goers that appreciate a beautifully shot film will be talking about just how amazing this aspect of this film was when the credits start rolling.
And the casting is just top notch. Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benicio Del Toro all give top notch performances. Benicio Del Toro's performance is definitely the best of the 3, but that's mostly because his character was the most interesting of the 3. There is a lot of mystery and intrigue behind his character and you don't find out the real story behind Alejando until the end of the film and Del Toro does a brilliant job with the role. You can see Kate trying to figure out just who Alejendro is from the very beginning of the film and were only given small bits of information on his character as the film goes on. One of my favorite aspects of Josh Brolin's character, Matt Graver, was just how much he enjoys sticking it to the bad guys. He is a man that truly loves what he is doing and you see him smiling in many scenes where most people wouldn't be. And Emily Blunt definitely holds her own. All 3 play off each other really well and the result is one of the best acted films I have seen in awhile.
If there was one weakness in regards to the casting it was with Kate's partner Reggie. Its not that he did a bad job, its just everyone else did such an amazing job that his character just doesn't hold up and feels kinda boring. Fortunately, even when he is there, the focus is usually on one of the other team members so his performance really doesn't hurt the film at all. Again, his performance just wasn't up to par with the rest of the performances in the film.
All in all, Sicario is just a brilliant film. It has a fantastic script, great casting, top notch performances, and some of the best cinematography I have seen in some time. It has action, tension, intrigue, and it has some great twists and a great ending. Ultimately, this film was a very different take on the whole "war on drugs" genre of films.
Definitely a solid 9/10 for me!!