In 2013, director Denis Villeneuve provided one of the better thrillers in recent years, Prisoners. However, his follow up, Enemy, was given a belated UK release earlier this year and I thought that was absolutely terrible! So, despite a promising trailer, I was a little apprehensive about Sicario, but I needn’t have been. This nail-biting visceral movie is firmly in contention amongst the best films of the year.
Emily Blunt, unexpectedly so good in an action role in Edge of Tomorrow last year, stars as Kate Macer, a FBI agent who is seconded onto a government task force tackling the drug trade from Mexico. Obviously tough, but also vulnerable and principled, Blunt is excellent, and completely believable. She does particularly well to shine whist skilled actors such as Josh Brolin (Matt Graver) and Benicio del Toro (Alejandro) revel in their much flashier roles as shady operatives on the team.
Two really good set pieces book-end the film, but I think the most nerve-racking and effective sequence involves the transportation of a suspect back over the border to the US. The moments when the convoy of vehicles become stuck in traffic with bad guys in cars closing-in will easily be on my best scenes of the year list come December.
It is not always easy to understand the actions taken by Matt and Alejandro, but that is fitting as Kate is kept in the dark for large parts of the film too. In fact, I think it just adds to the tension and the feeling of unease that permeates the movie.
This is an exciting, intelligent and visceral movie, brilliantly directed by Villeneuve to ratchet up the tension, and full of pitch perfect performances.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10