Sicario
(2015)The deeper you go, the darker it gets.
The director of Prisoners helms this Palme d'Or-nominated Cartel crime thriller led by Emily Blunt, co-starring Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin. Set on the dangerous US and Mexico border, FBI agent Kate Macer (Blunt) is shot into a ruthless journey as she joins the war against drugs with an elite government task force. As the experience reaches darker territories, the line of the law becomes harder to see…
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Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Starring Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Jon Bernthal, Victor Garber, Jeffrey Donovan
Written by Taylor Sheridan
On Demand, DVD & Blu-Ray
Available from 8 providers
Flicks Review
BY Matt Glasby Flicks Writer
Chilly Canadian director Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Incendies) may not seem the obvious choice to helm a hot-blooded action thriller. And English rose Emily Blunt couldn’t have been top of anyone's list to play its ass-kicking all-American heroine. But the ambitiousness of the match fits the ambitiousness of the movie. Even the title (it means “hitman” in Spanish) shows the film-makers are thinking differently. Plus, it sounds really cool.... More
Blunt plays an officer on Phoenix’s Kidnap Response Team who’s co-opted by Josh Brolin’s government spook to fight the Mexican drugs cartels. It’s unclear how far Brolin’s jurisdiction reaches – or exactly what he and the ever-shady Benicio Del Toro are up to – but mostly the job involves tooled-up, tense-as-hell raids across the border, many of which will be seared into your brain long after the credits roll. Brolin and Del Toro are old hands at this kind of thing, but Blunt’s performance (along with Edge of Tomorrow) constitutes a canny career sidestep, and her interactions with partner Daniel Kaluuya (another Brit abroad) ground the super-charged setpieces.
In a typical bit of Hollywood idiocy, Villeneuve was asked to make Blunt’s character male. But it’s crucial she's the only woman in the room, constantly fighting to make her voice heard amid the endless macho bullshit, plus it adds another layer to a film with much to say about America's conduct in the unwinnable “war on drugs”. Stylish, smart and exciting, this is what can happen when artists make entertainment: you get art that entertains.Hide
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Sicario
BY Anaconda wannabe
Saw this twice when it opened late Sept & was fully immersed in the world of the movie both times. I think it is worthy of Oscar consideration across the board. Villeneuve demonstrates he is one of the very best directors working today. Cinematography & soundtrack are superb. Catch it on DVD etc if you haven't already seen it. Highly recommended!
BY Rob-Crozier lister
A great movie focusing on drug cartels on the Mexican/US border. The movie holds your interest because it is told from the point of view of the only female in the movie with a speaking part (FBI Agent Kate Macer, played by Emily Blunt). We follow her progress as she uncovers who she is working for and with, and why they are doing it. Quite gripping!
BY The_Chihuahua superstar
Violent no holds barred view of the drug world in the Americas. Eye opening and jaw dropping perspectives. Graphically entertaining to the point of being to real-world. But I like that shock factor.
Ideal cop meets real world problems with open eyes. Nuff said! A must watch for the hardcore.
BY AThomson wannabe
As the viewer you most identify with Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) as she quickly becomes your guide into the underworld of black ops and governmental deniability... But as the film further progresses it's eerily obvious there is something more sinister going on.
Although I found the ending a little weak, the more I thought on it and discussed with... More friends, the more it made sense (to end in such a way) and bookended the film well.
Sicario is a great film and well worth seeing and will likely be a talking point if you go with friends.Hide
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The Press Reviews
90%
of critics recommend.
Rotten Tomatoes Score. More reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Blunt’s performance has an edge of steel. She brings off a mix of confidence, bewilderment and vulnerability, which functions very well against the alpha male characters higher up the chain of command. Full Review
Powerful and superbly made... Full Review
The kind of creeping tension that coils around the audience like a snake suffocating its prey. Full Review
Denis Villeneuve takes on the Mexican drug trade in this stern, robust, abandon-hope-all-ye-who-enter thriller. Full Review
A beautifully murky, hard-edged thriller. Quite simply, one of the best films of the year. Full Review
This very accomplished, expertly written and acted drama drives home its point in subtle, yet forceful fashion. Full Review
The Oscar race starts here. Full Review
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