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Denis Villeneuve found his audience after the release of Prisoners. Prisoners is a thrilling mystery about children who are kidnapped. Through Villeneuve's direction, the tone of fear is set from the very beginning. Upon my viewing of the film, I was shocked and amazed with how well the tone was crafted. Then, Villeneuve released Enemy starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Similarly to Prisoners, the tone was dark and sobering. However, Villeneuve added an odd twist to the end of the film and viewers still have trouble figuring out the meaning of the final scene. Now, we have come to Sicario which acts as a sort of culmination between the two preceding films. Sicario is a dark and mysterious thriller, with an odd twist at the end that leaves audiences wondering what the message of the film is.
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​We would be going amiss if we did not mention the leading actors in Sicario. Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow, Looper, The Devil Wears Prada), Benicio Del Toro (The Usual Suspects), and Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men​) bring fascinating characters to life on the big screen. None of the characters are easy to read into, creating the mysterious and dark tone in the dialogue. There is an odd relationship between del Toro's character and Emily Blunt's character. The ending only creates more fogginess in their relationship. In every film that I have seen with del Toro, his character is surrounded in a cloud of mystery. Sicario uses his perfected character form as he portrays one of the members in the government task force. Brolin's character is set in between the two, as a straight-edged and serious proponent of the task force. All three of the actors are spectacularly cast and fitting for Villeneuve's thrilling cartel film.
Sicario also achieves it's suiting tone through the technical aspects. The soundtrack is constantly pulsing through the speakers, bringing us into the terror of gang territory. The beat chugs us through the story, often times not easily noticeable. Most of the time, when a soundtrack is less noticeable, it fits into the film better. There also some very unique shots that include thermal vision in a way that I have never seen before. Birds-eye-views place us above the action a lot of the time, giving us a real sense of war. Overall, this film is produced with the style that we expect out of Villeneuve's previous works.
The Bottom Line: Villeneuve continues to bring tense stories with good casts to audiences who are familiar with his past works.
Score: 8.5/10
Sicario also achieves it's suiting tone through the technical aspects. The soundtrack is constantly pulsing through the speakers, bringing us into the terror of gang territory. The beat chugs us through the story, often times not easily noticeable. Most of the time, when a soundtrack is less noticeable, it fits into the film better. There also some very unique shots that include thermal vision in a way that I have never seen before. Birds-eye-views place us above the action a lot of the time, giving us a real sense of war. Overall, this film is produced with the style that we expect out of Villeneuve's previous works.
The Bottom Line: Villeneuve continues to bring tense stories with good casts to audiences who are familiar with his past works.
Score: 8.5/10
