Flashy, exciting and perfectly portrayed? Yep. A bit disappointing? Yep.

Rating: 7/10 (2 August 2016)

"You're asking me how a watch works. For now, just keep an eye on the time."
"Sicario" was kind of a disappointment for me. Despite my admiration for director Denis Villeneuve ("Prisoners" was an excellent film), the presence of a high-profile and talented cast and an inviting trailer (although I scrupulously shun trailers), I thought this one wasn't really original and impressive. Maybe the trailer has put me on the wrong foot. That sinister and morbid beginning with those corpses stashed in plastic, made an immense impression on me. This combined with the flashy and clever scene where you see a convoy of pitch black SUV's making their way through a crowded highway with an action-packed ending subsequently, made sure I was eagerly looking forward to seeing this film.
The film certainly is excellent. But haven't we seen this kind of "war against seemingly elusive Mexican drug cartels" before? Particularly the kind of movies where corruption and deliberate lies play a major role. With manipulative officials and field workers who have their own agenda. It's all exciting, hard and ominous in this realistic "war on drugs" film, set in the blistering hot deserts of Mexico. The three main characters are a mixture of different characters. Emily Blunt (who played outstanding in "Edge of Tomorrow", where she showed that she effortlessly could handle a physically grueling role) as the FBI agent Kate Macer, assisting two experts in this hopeless struggle. The first one is Josh "Oldboy" Brolin as the dead calm Matt digger who never shows the back of his tongue. And then there's also Benicio del Torro as the mysterious acting Alejandro. Three masterfully played leading roles who are dancing, on the sound of a mariachi band, a complicated and politically charged Mexican dance.
But as mentioned earlier, it didn't impress me that much. Certainly not in the same way as "Prisoners". It's a rough and (figuratively) ugly film. But gorgeous and endlessly beautiful imaged. But the stereotypical characters are also introduced again. The head of a cartel enjoying a wonderful supper together with his family in a huge, imposing hacienda while his paltry and violent troops do the dirty work. A fragile FBI agent who again must stand her ground between the more robust and more imposing males. And finally it's just another divide and conquer story in which the boundaries of morality are shifted again. Nothing new under the blazing Mexican sun.
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