Movie Review - Sicario

Sicario ***½ (out of 5) (very R) If you’re in the mood for a good ol’ drug-wars bloodbath, with a cynical slant on how our government really operates as harsh as the level of splatter, here’s a solid bet. Emily Blunt plays an FBI SWAT tactician who thinks she’s tough until Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro show her how the big kids play the game. After stumbling onto a truly horrific crime scene, she volunteers for their interagency task force aimed to go higher up the cartel food chain than usual. Their tactics quickly cast doubts on all she’d known about jurisdiction, rules of procedure and every chapter of every “book” on law enforcement.

The action is intense. The title is supposedly a Mexican term for “hitman” with biblical origins. Whether true or not, it works here. The characters and game plan unfold slowly, keeping multiple levels of tension for viewers. The cinematography is first-rate, especially in the scenes of engagement. This will be hard to watch for those with tender sensibilities. Fans of films like Blow, Traffic and No Country for Old Men will find this one right in their wheelhouse - every bit as intense and morally complicated as such previous hits, satisfying both the visceral and mental sides of the genre. (10/2/15)