Sicario

Rating: 10/10 (5 October 2015)

The new film Sicario, is a film that if I had to do my best to describe it, I would definitely call it an experience. It is one of those films where once the film starts, it takes you into it's own world with it's characters and the events going on and you get so engrossed and fascinated by what is going on and at the same time the film affects you deeply and leaves a big impact on you during the duration of the film and also once you have left the theatre. The film is so stylishly done and such an intense film to watch and in regards to this intensity and the suspense that the film generates, it is all because of the amazing directing job of Denis Villeneuve who as we have seen in the past with films like Incendies, shows that Villeneuve really knows how to frame a scene and evokes excellent performances from his cast and with his use of music in a film as well as just how every single frame and shot is stylistically done to perfection is one of the truly great things about this film and this is a film that is quite intense to watch and I mean that in the best way possible. Once it gets a hold of your interest it does not let go for the remainder of the film till the end credits when you are finally able to breathe and to pause and reflect on what you have just watched. The film when I say this is not a horror film and nor is it scary either, but just very suspenseful and intense and as I have said above, is just totally captivating and it sure takes us as an audience on this ride and takes us into it's own whole during the 2 hour running time of the film. The acting here by the whole cast which includes Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro is all superb, but I think of all the performances the one that really stood out for me was Del Toro's. He plays a character who is shrouded in mystery and we only start to learn more about his character and his character's past as the film goes along. His character is certainly ambiguous in a lot of ways, but that is a great thing because whenever you are watching his character Alejandro, you really do not know if this is a good character, or a bad character, or if you should be rooting for him, or as cautious, or as on edge as some of the other people in the film (particularly Emily Blunt) is around him. This is a character we watch with great fascination and at times he can almost be chilling to watch and yet it is such a captivating and unforgettable performance that I think in particular that this character and performance will not soon be forgotten and if I had to give my two cents worth, I would say that Del Toro will definitely be up for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in the film. The performance is that powerful and that good. Emily Blunt is also very good here as a character who questions constantly what is going on around her and if what the people she is working alongside are doing is ethical, or if they are just making up their own rules at the time. She is a strong character in many ways, but you also see that at times she can be scared and in her own way also quite vulnerable. She was more or less the common sense character in the film who had the morals and gumption behind her, even when others didn't. Josh Brolin's character was cocky, arrogant and definitely full of himself and he was a joy to watch because at times the performance could be quite entertaining and almost humorous to watch. Here he proves again what a good actor he is. The film stylistically as I mentioned earlier is one of the best looking films I have seen this year, or really in any other year also. The cinematography was done by Roger Deakins, who I consider to be one of the best in the business. He has given us so many beautifully shot and haunting and yet beautiful scenes in so many films and here he again does an excellent job. In fact I can not think of when his cinematography was not amazing, but it is here as well and captures the haunting yet almost tragic circumstances the characters are in and some of his nighttime shots are just amazing. The film's musical score by Johann Johannsson, is more of an electronic score, but oh how it suit's the film perfectly and adds to that perfect intensity and suspense that the film needs. He does a great job here as well. Ultimately this is a film with very little character study which would usually bother me, but here it is not a problem as we are so glued to the events and characters we do have and here we have the case where the less we know the better. This is certainly a film experience and one that I was so glad I took and again I hope to revisit this film again some day and be totally captivated by it again. One of the absolute best films of the year.