Crossing Borders

Rating: 8/10 (26 May 2016)

There are movies which will taint you, which will bring you to the depths of the human nature and will make you wonder about Good and Evil.
Sicario is a movie by the Canadian director Denis Villeneuve about a US Elite Task Force of CIA, FBI, DEA and Delta Force mandated by the Department of Defense to take down a violent and murderous Mexican Cartel responsible of the death of many innocent families both in Mexico and the US.
Kate (Emily Blunt), a young and promising FBI SWAT team from Phoenix, Arizona, is hired to serve as liaison between the Task Force and the US Government. During the meeting, she meets the Agent in Charge, Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) who briefed her about the mission and the main objectives. But soon she realizes that the Task force is free of action and have no restraint about using force against the criminals they are supposed to take down.
Along the way, she meets Matt's partner, Alejandro (The excellent Benicio del Toro), who introduces himself as a cartel 'expert'. He is rough, keeps on himself and very heart cold. Throughout the movie, we realize that in fact he's an assassin who is on a personal vendetta against the head of the cartel who ordered the horrible murders of his wife and daughter. The real purpose of the mission is to create a diversion to allow Alejandro to fulfill his revenge and assassinate the cartel leader and his family which at the end he did in cold blood.
This movie is violent and this is not for everyone eyes to see. But it's intense and complex, making you wonder what's the border between good and evil as the good guys are as violent as the criminals, maybe even more.
Benicio del Toro is really amazing starring as Alejandro. He truly deserved an award for his performance. He is very chilling but we understand why he is so driven by revenge. The ending scenes where he kills everyone in his way to finally murder the entire cartel family including children is frightening. This is hard to witness and I felt for those children as well as the corrupted police officer's son after his father was murdered by Alejandro.
I'm giving a high note because it's nonetheless intense and to reward the performance of the casting which is over the top as the directing. But god this is frightening.