Taking Aim at the Drug Wars

Rating: 6/10 (28 October 2015)

(Rating: ☆☆☆ out of 4)
This film is mildly recommended.
In brief: Another story about the drug wars that gives us more of the same but with style
GRADE: B-
Sicario means hit-man. That is all you need to know to understand the underlying theme in this thriller about the drug wars. There will be much blood, carnage, revenge, and savagery. That is part of the territory in this crime genre and Sicario follows that proved formula and rarely strays off course. That is both its strength and its weakness. The literate screenplay by Taylor Sheridan shows the gritty and grisly side of the Mexican cartel and its ongoing success in illegal drug trafficking.
￼We follow an idealistic F.B.I. recruit, Kate Macer (Emily Blunt), as she undertakes an new assignment, meeting unsavory characters and slowly learning the corrupt system that is in place in this drug-infested borderland area between the USA and Mexico. In her baptism under fire, she partners with two old pros: Matt Graver (Josh Brolin), a gruff but knowledgeable government agent in charge of the operation, and Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), a tough and intense policeman with many secrets and demons. The three actors are fine in their roles and make their characters very believable. Adding strong support are Daniel Kaluuya as Kate's partner and Jon Bernthal as Ted, a one-night stand.
￼This is standard but effective storytelling. Nothing much surprises here plot-wise, but director Denis Villeneuve adds many nice visuals to this conventional tale. (The talented Roger Deakin's cinematography helps immensely.) The film's chief asset is the director's skill in contrasting the common lives of the Mexican people and their nonchalant attitude about the crime and violence that infects their everyday existence in the subtlest of ways. He doesn't shy away from the horror of decaying corpses or bloodied victims caught in the crossfires of the drug wars, sometimes lingering too long at the grotesque images he creates.
￼Sicario takes us to an ugly and depressing world but it is not to every moviegoer's taste. While most of it is often predictable and unoriginal, the film remains interesting and compelling. Still, Villeneuve's technical expertise takes direct aim of its difficult subject and allows Sicario to hit the target at very close range more often than not.
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