A Really Well Crafted Thriller, With One of the Most Interesting Directors

Rating: 9/10 (23 October 2017)

Denis Villenueve is slowly becoming one of my favorite directors nowadays. He usually creates great movies, with great atmospheres, with gorgeous visuals and a fantastic cast. This are his main trademarks.
Sicario is about a group of agents and police men of the USA government who are trying to stop the horrible things that are happening because of the drug cartel in the frontier between USA and Mexico. The story is not that original, I think, but what is great about this movie is that it takes a simple story and tells us that story in an original and fascinating way. I was staring at the screen for a really big part of the movie, watching the amazing cinematography, the tense moments and the fantastic cast.
The main character is Kate and FBI agent played wonderfully by Emily Blunt. She is the character who introduces us to the story, and with her facial expressions she is able to transport us to the dark and gritty world of the drug traffic. But she is not the only one who delivers. Josh Brolin also creates a really good character, charismatic but also enigmatic, but the true star of the show is, without a doubt, Benicio del Toro. He is the most enigmatic character, the one that says the least, and the one that you really want to know more about. He is fantastic in the role and I think he won a really deserved Oscar in the supporting role category.
The problem (not big, but still a problem) I have with this movie, and that's why not the 10 stars rating, is the role of the friend of Kate, that I don't really feel he adds anything to the story, more than some moments of friendship between them. And also, there were some moments around the middle of the movie, that I felt a bit slow, and almost unnecessary, but maybe it's a bit of nitpicking on my side.
Apart from that the movie really keeps you on the edge, but with no need of explosions or car chases. Just with the visuals, you are stuck. That is because of the amazing directing by Villenueve, that keeps you in tension in each scene, with the help of the wonderful Roger Deakins, who is able to keep all the shots interesting and beautiful, transmitting you the tension even in a just talking scene. Also, I need to mention the hypnotic score by Johan Johannsson, who add a lot to the building tension of the movie.
Definitely a must see to the cinema lovers, to the lovers of Villenueve, and to everyone who wants a good story told in an amazing and fascinating way.