Movie Review – Sicario : Edge of the seat thriller

SYNOPSIS

Sicario takes a dark look at the Mexican drug cartel and crime. It is about the US Govt response and unconventional ways used to achieve its aim. Sicario is a fast paced crime thriller with dramatic cinematography and gripping music. Right from the opening scene it keeps you on the edge and with many surprises along the way.

The word Sicario comes from the zealots of Jerusalem. Killers who hunted the Romans who invaded their homeland.

In Mexico, Sicario means hitman.

Opening credits of the movie

Plot of Sicario

The movie begins in Chandler, Arizona where scores of dead bodies are discovered with signature execution style killing during an FBI raid headed by Agent Emily Blunt. With this news grabbing national headlines, its a matter of time that the federal govt intervenes. But this time they send in Josh Brolin played by Matt Graver who is a DOD advisor with the CIA as the head of a task force. Joining him is the mysterious Alejandro played by Benicio Del Toro. Emily Blunt, the FBI agent played by Kate Macer, is asked to volunteer for the joint task force.

The task force begins working by targeting Manuel Diaz. He is a legitimate business man, but he also works for Sonora Cartel based in Juarez, Mexico. They manage to extradite a top ranking member of the cartel, now in a Mexican prison. In a series of planned events and discovery, they ultimately reach his boss in Mexico and eliminate him to provide a temporary but deadly blow to the drug cartel. The taskforce uses all means available at their disposal like drones and military grade hardware and technology. All this and the storyline keeps the audience captivated.

The movie is fast paced and there is never a dull moment. But some action sequences are simply superb and audience is left gasping. But be advised, the narrative is simple and brutal. The prisoner transportation sequence from Mexico back to the US is the highlight of the movie. So is the music played in background during the most tense scenes.

Movie dialogues

There are some memorable dialogues in the movie. When Kate asks the task force about their objective, she is simply told… to dramatically overreact.
Nothing will make sense to your American ears… is another one liner.
Before interrogating the prisoner, Alejandro says…Now you’ll learn what’s hell in Yankee Land. Spine-chilling!

Never a dull moment

Josh Brolin is shown as a Department of Defense advisor. But he has immense resources at his disposal. He zips around in a corporate jets flown by US Airforce pilots. He slips easily into combat gear to participate in ops. Speaks less and always plans ahead, he does things for effect.
Emily Blunt is the righteous FBI agent who wants to do everything by the book. She is rudely shocked by the methods of Josh but willingly participates to see the operation till its end.
And finally Alejandro who is the brutal hitman and goes about his tasks with methodical precision and cold eyes.

Participating in the ops is a team of SFOD-D operators. It stands for Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta simply known as Delta team. These men are elite special operations force of US Army. They perform the most complex, classified and dangerous missions. The audience gets to see their tactics and methods up close. To conceal their identity these soldiers rarely wear a uniform. They are allowed autonomy in their methods and sport hair styles and facial hair to blend in.

Ending

The final scene of the movie is when Alejandro visits Emily to get a paper signed stating all operations done by the team were legit and legal. When she hesitates he simply points a gun at her throat. The helplessness shown by the FBI agent puts a lasting impression on the audience. This is a must watch movie for crime thriller fans.