SICARIO – The Review

By Cate Marquis

“Sicario” means “hitman” in Mexico, as the audience learns at the start of the film of the same name. Although there is indeed a hitman in Mexico, little is straightforward in this mysterious thriller from Denis Villeneuve, the director of “Prisoners” and “Incendies.”

Those films are filled with shades of gray and uncertainties, and pivot on unexpected twists. Those who saw his previous films will know what to expect in pacing and tone, and that this Canadian director has a taste for murky, unsettling almost-horror film-like suspense. However, people who have seen the movie trailers for SICARIO and are expecting a straightforward action film with Emily Blunt kicking butt likely will be surprised. Blunt does play the central character, and she is indeed tough stuff, but the film she is in may not be the one you expect.

Blunt plays Kate, a fast-rising young Arizona policewoman who has been leading SWAT teams specializing in rescuing hostages. She lives for her job, and is idealistic about her work. When a rescue at a modest suburban house near the Mexican border reveals multiple bodies and a bomb, pointing to a sinister larger operation with links to Mexican drug cartels, federal authorities come in. Kate’s boss Dave Jennings (Victor Garber) suggests Kate as the local police officer to assist with a federal operation targeting Mexican drug lords. Heading up the operation is a federal official, Matt Graver (Josh Brolin). He says he is from the Department of Defense, or DoD as he puts it, but there is little that says military about the flip-flop wearing Graver. Although Kate is unhappy that her partner and best friend Reggie (British actor Daniel Kaluuya) is not included on the team, she goes in ready for action. But after meeting team members that include a mysterious man named Alejandro (Benicio del Toro) and a bunch of uniformed military specialists, Kate is frustrated to find herself being constantly told to just observe and given little information about the operation. What they are doing, and even who these guys are, is not at all clear – yet.

Both Kate and the audience are in the dark as to what is really going on, more like a mystery film, well into the story. The shades of gray and sinister, murky doings are more typical of taut international gangster/crime thrillers like “A Prophet” or “Gormorrah” than American action films. The extended uncertainty and unsettled, suspenseful nature of the film may not be what most American audiences expect, given how the film is being promoted. Nothing is given, and viewers are forced to figure out for themselves what is really going on, although Villeneuve eventually spells it out. There is plenty of action and violence but the suspenseful tone of the film is less action film than horror. This emotional tone is boosted by the film’s soundtrack, often little more than a low, uncomfortable rumbling suggesting a threat lurking just under the surface, one that occasionally explodes along with on-screen violence. Visually, shadows and eerie landscapes, sometimes dotted with scenes of violence, fill the screen.

The director builds tension with a sure hand. The acting is strong in this film, with powerful performances by Blunt and Del Toro in particular. We do not learn a lot about their backgrounds, but the essential character of each is clear.

Audiences looking for the typical non-stop chases and action are better off with “Mad Max: Fury Road” or “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.” “Sicario” has long stretches of dark, mysterious, dangerous doings that leave audience members on the edge of their seats, with ominous gunfire in the distance and occasional gut-wrenching violence. Viewers who appreciate the darker, murkier suspense thriller tone of European crime thrillers are more likely to enjoy SICARIO than those who want straightforward good guys and bad guys with plenty of car chases and explosions.

SICARIO is a good suspense-filled crime thriller, with an intelligent story, but the film’s departure from the image created by its ad campaign might create different expectations

SICARIO OPENS IN ST. LOUIS
ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015

OVERALL RATING: 3 1/2 OUT OF 5 STARS