Sicario

Sicario tells the story of a lone wolf (Kate Macer, played by Emily Blunt) in American heartland who believes the rule of law still lives and police investigations are done by the book.

When a cartel warlord investigation process by the two antagonists named Matt (Josh Brolin) and Alejandro (Benicio del Toro) turns against her belief system, the prosecutable conflict doesn't seem all that important, relatable and sensible to the viewers as much as it is for the protagonist. First of all, one may argue Sicario chose the wrong character perspective to narrate the plot from. Kate is a bystander from start to finish. She volunteers to join Matt in his operation to eliminate one of the most dangerous and brutal Mexican drug cartel, but she has absolutely no function in it and the reason why Matt needed her was only revealed before the climactic showdown. She complains and whines about police shooting down gun-wielding cartel members who are ready to do the same to the law enforcers. In fact, her boss explains Matt's occupation as the Advisor / Specialist who is hired to deal matters like this in his own method, therefore Matt is basically executing his job. It's a whole different ballgame, and Matt knows what he is doing. We are constantly on Matt's and Alejandro's side, rooting for them at all times. We've seen how unfair and inhuman the drug cartel is, with parade of mutilated dead bodies hidden behind walls and hanged below street flyovers being examples. Even Kate's personal life doesn't have any integral part to play in the main plot, except for the dating incident that evolves into a tussle. Again, Kate is a bystander from start to finish. And a bystander simply cannot be the protagonist.

Traffic jam shootout, the way Alejandro torments Ted (Jon Bernthal) in the vehicle and the interrogation room torture that's left to our imagination are great sequences! But the episode that'll dwell in our minds forever is the one where Alejandro assassinates the kingpin. It takes place at a dining table, with narcotrafficker Alarcón having dinner with his wife and two kids. Almost every dialogue in this proceeding hints at Alejandro killing the wife and kids first before attempting at Alarcón. This single scene reminds us the way Denis Villeneuve used to terrorize us with fear in his earlier features such as Polytechnique and Incendies. The beauty of this scene is, it's followed by Alejandro approaching Kate to sign some papers with a gun pointed below her brain. The tension is super heavy and these two segments are by far the highlights of the entire movie!

Roger Deakins' raw and gritty camerawork aided Denis Villeneuve to establish the picture's many gorgeous overhead shots. The ones with airplane shadows on plains are perfect! Framing, staging and composition are first class! Sound design for the muzzled gunshots is exceptional! Every scene, in terms of writing and direction, vividly exhibits characters - those who follow the rules and those who don't are partitioned by costume types, colors, choice of words etc. Performances by all the actors are just what the film needed, but Benicio del Toro is beyond terrific as Alejandro!