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'Sicario' (15)

 
*****
 
DVD/Streaming release
 
After a gruesome discovery at a home near the US/Mexican border, idealist FBI agent Kate volunteers to join a government task force and bring those responsible to justice.
 
'In Mexico, 'sicario' means 'hitman'. As these words fade from the screen at the very start of the film, there is already an unnerving sense of tension building - it is an excellent beginning, and one that perfectly sets up what is to follow. The opening section of the film is a particularly grim and gory one, which leaves you wanting to look away, but at the same time leaves you grossly fascinated at the barbarity of the situation, a feeling you will experience again and again throughout the film. Leading the acting pack is Emily Blunt as Kate Macer, a 'by the book' FBI agent who wants to put the man responsible for the deaths at the start of the film behind bars. She is a tight-lipped, no bullshit character and Blunt plays her with an understated excellence that's incredibly watchable - we don't need to know much of her past to see that she's been through hell and back. Opposite her is the mysterious and intimidating Alejandro, expertly acted by Benicio Del Toro - his character is the enigma of the film and could have been played to clichés, but Del Toro manages the role masterfully. The relationship between these two characters is a turbulent one, but it is also one of the joys of the film. Led by an outstanding script, beautifully filmed by Roger Deakins (making full use of the wide open spaces of the Mexican landscape) and punctuated by one of the most hauntingly mesmeric scores I have ever heard by Johann Johannsson, the film is a treat for both the eyes and ears... if you can stand the tension, that is.
 
I suspect that some viewers will be frustrated by the Kate Macer character - her role is largely an observational one, and she is neither one of the 'movers or shakers' of the film. However, I found her character to be an engaging one - she represents us as the viewer, as the wider world who has heard about the cartel but never really experienced it. From our cosy homes and sheltered lives, it is easy for us to suggest peaceful means of preventing such barbarity, but when faced with the truth of the situation, how would we really respond? This is what Kate represents - she is our eyes in this drug-dealing world of wolves. Similarly, I can certainly see why some people would find the ending frustrating, but I would suggest that we are meant to be left feeling agitated and annoyed by the conclusion so that conversation is ignited. Equally, however, had I been in a different mood when I sat down to watch the film, I might have been left shouting 'Is that it!?
 
A tough watch that poses difficult questions alongside the most nerve-jangling traffic jam ever filmed, Sicario is a film that will likely polarise audiences, but I found it to be a taut thriller with bursts of well executed action thrown in. It doesn't offer easy solutions and is certainly not a cheerful watch, but it's somehow all the better for it. Watch, and be swept up in the tension.

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