Sicario movie review

The French-Canadian director, who made big screen impact with the kidnapping drama Prisoners, has fashioned a blazing and exciting cartel thriller with first-rate performances from its name cast. Sicario takes you into the seedy world of drug traders and asks the question: what are the emotional consequences of violence?

The story is a densely woven web of compelling characters. It is set within a grisly scenario of devastating violence which may not appeal to faint-hearted viewers. It is also a morally ambiguous exercise illustrating how law enforcement agencies deal with the drug scourge.

A tough, hardy Emily Blunt shines as never before playing Kate, an FBI field agent who has been forced to compete in a job dominated by males.

The opening sequences put you clearly in the picture when agents discover a suburban Arizona house filled with rotting corpses, all executed by a powerful Mexican drug cartel which owns the house. Death and destruction escalates from there and it’s to Villeneuve’s credit that he manages to sustain tension up to the end.

Sicario unspools through the eyes of Kate. The violence is savage and startling, but never overstated. Sicario is a must-see production that will linger long in the memory.