Sicario

Rating : 7/10
Release Date : 9th October, 2015
Time : 121 minutes
Director : Denis Villenueve; Writer : Taylor Sheridan; Music : Johann Johannsson;
Starring : Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Victor Garber, Daniel Kaluuya, Jeffrey Donovan, Bernardo P Saracino, Maximiliano Hernandez

Sicario is derived from the Latin word ‘Sicarius’ meaning dagger man. In Spanish, it means hitman



There is an overwhelming sense of fore-boding, tension that pervades the film, as we watch, virtually through the mostly wide-open, terrified eyes of Emily Blunt, a major operation against a drug cartel…

Emily is relatively new with the FBI, but has been doing active service in that time, kicking down doors in her eighteen months there. The movie begins with one such bust of a house that contains a horrible secret…an outcome of the drug wars from Mexico. The next thing she knows, she is being asked if she’d like to volunteer for a DOD (Dept of Defense) Mission against the cartel – led by Josh Brolin (who’s an advisor to the DOD) and Benicio Del Toro (another advisor). She’s kept totally in the dark as to what’s happening, what’s the objective and soon finds herself more than a bit out of her depth.

Daniel Kaluuya (remember him from Johnny English?), her mate from the FBI, tries to be her eyes and years, help…but this is beyond even their boss, Victor Garber’s, paygrade. You do learn a bit, about how US agencies operate – a bit like their government – they think they’re above the law and try to retain control of events at whatever cost. Benicio is excellent as the silent and sinister type, while Josh is great too, talkative, with the Southern drawl but still menacing. Emily, unforgettable since The Adjustment Bureau, is the soul of the movie.

Secrets tumble. Details about their mission, divvied up in little sorties, are revealed bit by little bit. I loved the way the tension is maintained through the entire film – and even a moment of release – going for drinks at a bar after a rough day, still doesn’t allow the viewer to completely relax (in India most producers would go for an item number). And I liked the end – in all it’s different parts…sometimes, you do wonder what is the point of it all…