Brutal

Rating: 9/10 (10 October 2015)

The most horrifying part of "Sicario" is that everything that happens is the god-honest truth, right down to the sheer amount of death and violence that most Mexican civilians have witnessed as a result of the "Mexican" drug war. I put quotations because as one cartel leader in Sicario posits, most of this war was fueled and instigated by the US, unleashing a chain of reactions that has led up to this point.
There is very little in Sicario to suggest that any of it is exaggerated, despite the amount of explosions and gun action there is. The acting and script combined leave you on the edge of your seat about 98% of the time and the other 2% is just a bit of breathing room before the next big event happens, but it all remains plausible. My only issue is that Emily Blunt's character was a little underdeveloped - she starts out as the protagonist but by the end, we're left unsure whether or not she is or Benicio del Toro's character is the real star. It also wavers at times between being a gripping expose and a revenge story for del Toro's character who works as a "CIA consultant" to get access to the men responsible for his wife and daughter's deaths. All in all, once you leave - be prepared to lie down after you leave the theater.