Cold

Rating: 10/10 (26 January 2017)

Back when I was younger we had a slang for certain people. It was used for people who we considered heartless or maybe someone that operated on a "I don't give a bleep" level. We called them cold-blooded, or cold. It was a term of endearment though. "Man, you cold." Like, man you're doing some stuff I could never work up the nerve to do.
That's how I would characterize this movie. Cold. Along with cold it was extremely intense. Like that hold-your-breath-so-you-can-be-aware-of-everything-that's-going-on intensity. And the pervasive musical score with the low bass chords added to the intensity.
I thought the movie was going to be a hit-man/double agent/super spy movie with extreme gadgets, extreme explosions, extreme stunts and an extreme death toll. It's not that. Or I'll say, it's not quite that. This movie went for authenticity. There's no 007/Ethan Hunt/super spy performing these miraculous fight moves, deftly killing people with the most unlikely weapon and escaping death defying situations. Upon seeing Emily Blunt (Kate Macer), I figured she'd be a super badass that would be kicking butt and taking names and could outdo even the best man. She was bad, but there was a realistic limit to her skill set.
The action was gritty, slow moving, calculated action that conforms to the rules of physics and reality. There's tactical planning on a basic level, constant communication and methodical execution of said plans. And did I mention that it's cold?
The story is a simple yet terrific one. The U.S. is stepping up its effort to curtail drugs flowing into the U.S. from Mexico with the help of an "adviser". This adviser has a right hand man, Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), who adds an element of mystery to the entire operation. And he adds the frigidness. This man sleeps in a freezer. He drinks water and pees ice. Every scene he was in the temperature dropped. He was one cold piece of work.
The movie was masterfully done. It drove home the seriousness of the drug violence without making it look fake and superfluous. Even the subdued nature of the acting added to the quality of the film. No person was out of place or there to make a splash. This was just one of those movies where the pieces fit perfectly. Sicario has just become one of my favorites.