Welcome back to this mini-series of reviews of the feature films* of revered filmmaker Denis Villeneuve in the lead-up to his latest film Arrival. This sixth review in the series is for his film from just last year, Sicario.
Sicario is the seventh feature film by Denis Villeneuve and follows
the story of an interagency task force who runs various drug law enforcement
ops in an effort to take down cartel leaders in Mexico. The film stars Emily
Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Victor Garber, Jon Bernthal, and Daniel
Kaluuya. I personally believe this is an absolute brilliant film that connects
a great action film with great filmmaking and interesting ethical questions.
The best thing about Sicario is its technical filmmaking
attributes. Villeneuve’s direction, Roger Deakins cinematography, and Jóhann Jóhannsson’s
score all come together to elevate this film beyond what It may have been in lesser
hands. There are so many striking moments in this film that leave an imprint on
the mind of the viewers. Shots on disturbing things hold uncomfortably long.
The nighttime photography is simply brilliant. The use of tools like night and
heat vision to draw people into the action was extremely clever. The tension
built by the immaculately designed shots of cars and cities was excellent. The
music in the film is chilling. The list can go on ad infinitum. There is no
other way to put this than to say that this was a brilliantly made film.
In addition to being brilliantly
made, Sicario is a combination of
entertaining and disturbing. There is lots of very intense action and a really
interesting story. This makes this film highly watchable and enjoyable for
audiences. At the same time, it is very gritty, grimy, and disturbing. It
challenges moral values of viewers (just as it does with one of the characters)
and makes you question how far you would want people to go to combat pure evil.
It also presents the story in such a way that you get behind and root for a guy
who is ruthless (and potentially pure evil himself). This is an uncomfortable
position and the ability of this film to get you into that mental place is
really powerful.
The last positive I want to
mention is the strength of the performances across the board. Emily Blunt and
Benicio del Toro are absolute standouts in the film. They deliver power and
emotion in their roles that gets you totally invested in the film and without
that quality this film wouldn’t be as good as it is. In addition, Josh Brolin,
Victor Garber, Jon Bernthal, and Daniel Kaluuya all shine in this film. They
add just the right amount of flavor and intrigue into the film and push it
forward meaningfully.
I don’t have anything
specifically bad to say about this film. On re-watch, some of the elements that
I had thought were too out there for the real tone it sets the first time I saw
the film didn’t strike me that way anymore. They all really work, especially
when you know where this eventually goes. The one problem I think people can,
and will, cite with this film is that it is somewhat conventional. Not in its
filmmaking or performances, but this is a drug war story that isn’t terribly
unfamiliar. For me, a well-executed familiar story can be great, and I think Sicario does that. Some people might not
feel the same way.
Overall, I think Sicario is a brilliant film and nails
every element to heighten material that might be seen as conventional
otherwise. The quality of direction, music, cinematography, and acting all come
together to make this film great. A really solid watch and a film I would
recommend to everyone.
Ryan’s Score: 9.5/10
* This series of reviews will include all of Villeneuve’s features except the 2000 film Malestrom due to it being highly difficult to obtain prior to the start of this series.
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