Powerful Dread

Rating: Null/10 (30 October 2015)

Sicario is a movie where you breathe danger. It paces quite long and slow, allowing you to linger a progress that may result to something horrifying in their case. This is an FBI versus cartel thriller, but it's not about the information between the feud. It's about showing how corruption tears this world apart and the people who still cares about their morals end up being helpless to get things right. This is a terribly bleak world and that's what makes Sicario a powerful experience. It establishes the dark side of their mission until there is no longer safety on their ground.
The plot is basically a manhunt after a drug lord. And when FBI agent, Kate (Emily Blunt), joins with the CIA on this search, there is already something fishy about the operation, starting from introducing Alejandro (Benicio del Toro.) And it just keeps revealing more dirty strategies of finding their target, while the main character keeps getting annoyed by it. And that's pretty much the details you need to know about the story, because what this movie mainly offers is how things really go wrong with their decisions. Defeating their enemy isn't always triumphant when others get to die horribly, but their plan is their own justice and Kate has nothing to do about it, no matter how much she tries.
And the simple merit here is Denis Villeneuve's direction. This is the filmmaker who knows how to create atmosphere. He made a movie, that you have no idea who exactly the villain is, feel terrifying, despite of not making any sense. In Sicario however, it's all over the place. Violence can occur at any turn ;the quieter the scene, the scarier it would be; because the director expertly designed it that way. It's as remarkable as the cinematography really taking you into the bleakness and the horror, from wider angles to something else. The opening scene, the highway scene and so one; it's just brims so much suspense that overpowers a lot of thrillers this year. The acting is equally subtle; Emily Blunt makes her role relatable enough, but it's Benicio del Toro who brings it to the table by making his role both intimidating and quietly human. Josh Brolin is just fun. That is all.
Sicario is really about experiencing how things really go wrong and the moral complexities of their mission. The obvious, you won't find any good guys or heroes here. Good ideals will always struggle, violence will always be their easier justice; which makes the world a crueler place. And the movie pictures it terrifically; from imagery to atmosphere, we all know how its tension works: it's all ticking bomb. It takes you away from the comfort zone completely and lets you linger on uglier details and deadlier places. It's chilling, yet magnificent. It's an incredible kind of hopelessness that you'll have to swallow.