Different Story Structure Creates Strong Tension

Rating: 6/10 (5 February 2016)

This film is supposed to center on the FBI agent Emily Blunt being lured into an undercover drug operation. Her character represents the audience, and the screenplay toys with us (and her) hinting at larger things going on. With military interdictions on foreign soil, you will be reminded of recent films like "Zero Dark Thirty" and "The Hurt Locker". This film can be rightly called a suspense film more than a thriller, because you are given clues to what the real story is, but are only given bread crumbs of information along the way. This film has more emotionally based photography (by the great Roger Deakins), and a very selective point-of-view as we stick to our vulnerable main character.
Emily Blunt, recently seen as a fierce and fearless warrior in "Edge of Tomorrow" transforms herself quite believably to a competent but insecure law enforcement officer. The center of the real story is lead by Josh Brolin, who only needs to give you a wink and a smile to let you know that much more is happening, and frequently challenges Blunt to keep going along with the plan, even though the stakes are obviously getting higher.
This is one of the better screenplays to be produced, where it doesn't insult the intelligence of the audience (we know some kind of dark operation is going on). When danger comes to our main character, we are surprised as much as she is, being lulled into a sense of security. The screenplay seems to instinctively know at what point we need a piece of information to stay engaged. Benicio Del Toro, as always, threatens to steal the movie from our other like-able characters with his mannerisms and general mystique. The ensemble in general has plenty of moments to exert their influence. What is interesting about the structure of this film, is that it is setup to feel like an action flick, but instead finds nuance in the preparation for the big action moments more than the bang and booms usually associated with that type of film. As an outside observer, the photography floats and hovers around the edges, providing more of a glimpse of the meat of the scene. This type of photography wisely represents our main character, who eventually resorts to her own interpretation of what is going on, but struggles by being an outsider from having any control to what is going on.
The screenplay creates a third act that is less about Blunt and more about Del Toro's character. What is great about the third act is that finally fleshes out who Del Toro really is, and is responsible for the fireworks that make up the climax. This can be surprising, because it doesn't involve Blunt's character at all. Which is fitting for the screenplay, since in order for it to succeed in maintaining unpredictability in regards to Blunt's exposure to danger, having her involved in the finale would remove that unpredictability. The music provides some good tension-building low tones. Although there are some grim images of violence, I would not consider this film as particularly violent, instead allowing the chatter of preparation and knowledge of the danger to fill the void.