Unique.

Rating: 9/10 (5 October 2015)

Sicario is one of those rare films that makes the 'Thriller' genre have meaning. Besides the tense moments and really strong character development, there lies a beautiful and yet hard shot film that keeps you glued to the screen.
The film tells of FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) who works closely to raiding and putting down drug cartels across the US/Mexican border. Her handy work is enlisted by a government official Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and his crew including the mysterious Alejandro Gillick (Benicio del Toro) to aid in a joint task force tracking down an anonymous drug lord. But it soon turns to more personal matters as Kate discovers why she is involved and why they are doing this without the book of rules.
Directed by French-Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve (who is behind the darkly gripping and acclaimed drama/thriller 'Prisoners') and with a solid script by Sons of Anarchy writer Taylor Sheridan, Sicario is a standout thriller that lies in the sub-genre of drug and human trafficking, giving a close look into the people involved on both sides and what drives them to power. Not based on a true story in particular but it's a real life scenario that still occurs in the US and various parts of the world.
The acting performances from Blunt, Brolin and del Toro are all strong throughout and it's possible that Blunt (or even the three of them) could get Golden Globe and Oscar attention. Blunt is such a great choice to be in this film, especially that her female cop role breaks the formula of the usual male lead and gives a different lead.
The film's cinematography is beautiful, gritty and really well shot thanks to the work of Roger Deakins (Oscar nominee for No Country For Old Men and other works) and echoes the style and presentation of that film. I should mention as well that it's music score is also beautiful and really suits the film, composer Jóhann Jóhannsson (Oscar nominee for The Theory of Everything) nails it and both of these men should get Oscar attention as well.
Overall, Sicario is a slow burning, hard, gritty but yet beautifully shot thriller that will keep the fans of character built thrillers in their place.
9/10 - Nick