Denis Villeneuve marks himself as a big-time director, Emily Blunt is wonderful

Rating: 9/10 (24 January 2016)

With Sicario, Denis Villeneuve has marked himself on my short list of "Oh, that guy directed it? I'm in." Which isn't to say that I don't find some issues with his storytelling (see: Third Acts). Sicario is properly brutal, properly beautiful, and has the actors and performances to rate it as one of the best films of the (albeit terribly soft) year.
I so loved Prisoners' style and moral quandary, and the same kind of feeling is put forth here. A quick must-needed note on Roger Deakins- the circle jerk is real and proper. His images are amongst the all-time best in Hollywood. Does Deakins have an exclusive agreement with the Teamsters that cut the deals with Clouds? His clouds are always perfect, and everything else is much the same. And some of his finest work has been in his two efforts with Denis Villeneuve.
THIS is the kind of movie Hollywood should be throwing these mid-sized budgets at. Reported at $30M, though I'd be surprised if it wasn't closer to $50M- it's money very well spent. The kind of film that was made with regularity in the 1970's-1990's, these are now complete anomalies. Though when seen through the success that Sicario and Prisoners have both had, and his projects lined up well into the future, it's safe to say this director now has carte blanche at this budget level, and slightly above it. And that's a DAMN good thing.
So what makes it stand out from the rest of the similar action-thrillers at this level? Quite simply... This story is about human beings. When there is gore, it's earned. When there are explosions, they are earned. When there are heated exchanges, they are so earned with well-placed character development and story structure that nothing ever feels gratuitous. That's the lesson that other "action-thrillers" need to learn from Sicario. Story and characters matter the most. Anything and everything must derive from that. And this director understands and embraces that.
This shows off very well in the performances. From the small supporting roles to Benicio's (quite predictable) turn- it's spot on. But no one shines as bright as Emily Blunt. With this and Edge of Tomorrow, she's also quick becoming- for me- one of those actresses that I want to see everything she ever does. She's that good- and she's a career best here. Reminder: Awards are dumb. She's vulnerable and strong at the same moment. THIS is a feminist performance we should be proud of- with all the conflicting human emotions that make us round and whole. On the surface, she may seem subjugated, but whereas a role like the lead in 'Brooklyn' is actually just a tidy bit of emotional manipulation to SEEM strong- Blunt's character actually IS strong. SHE IS A WOLF, Benicio! F you!
Okay... so let's get to that third act. Just like in Prisoners, the overwhelming need for a TWIST seems to get in the way of the momentum and well-designed plot of the film. If you know even the tiniest bit of ancillary information (or watched Entourage), the mention of the Colombian cartel in Act One is a pretty dead give away of exactly what is going on with Benicio's character. But I guess here is where Sicario feels like it earns it's stripes... Even though I saw that coming a mile away, it was still well-placed and spot on. It made sense for the character, and there was no ex machina necessary to provide it for us. So, it gets a slide, but there was too much time spent on twisty-twists in the last 1/3 of the movie overall. I wanted pure focus on Blunt's character. I think it would have made a stronger overall film. But it's a minor criticism in this year's swell of the under-whelming. So far, Sicario and Inside Out are the only film's I enjoyed thoroughly despite their hype.
Just one final note... I would be re-miss if I didn't mention the tiny baby shark jump that this film made when it decided the villains' climax needed to be expressed through lines taken literally from TAKEN. And even though they felt better and more appropriate here, c'mon... those lines were in Taken, pretty much verbatim.
Please Hollywood- I implore you- more mid-range budget films like Sicario all day. Less everything else you're putting real money into!