Film Review: Sicario (2015)

A quarter of all prisoners on the globe are held in American prisons. This statistic, which is rather difficult to reconcile with the perception of the USA as the most consistent embodiment of libertarian ideals in today’s world, is often cited as one of the worst consequences of the War on Drugs—a decades-long campaign that is increasingly seen as no more successful in combating drug addiction than Prohibition was in curbing alcoholism. However, however unpleasant the consequences of the war on drugs may be on American streets, they have, particularly of late, taken on almost apocalyptic dimensions across the southern border, where a ruthless war has raged for years between highly organised, increasingly powerful, yet ever more reckless drug cartels. These rather unpleasant themes, which touch upon even more uncomfortable speculations about when and how the Mexican drug war will spill northwards, have gradually begun to permeate Hollywood. One of the most recent such productions is Sicario, a film by Denis Villeneuve that received considerable critical acclaim following its premiere at Cannes.

The film’s protagonist is Kate Macer (Emily Blunt), an FBI agent tasked with combating drug smugglers, human traffickers, and kidnappers in the American Southwest. However, her professional experience has scarcely prepared her for what she uncovers during what appears to be a routine raid, where dozens of mummified corpses—killed in an exceptionally brutal manner—are discovered in an isolated house. Several police officers were also killed during the same operation, which is sufficient reason for US federal authorities to form a special task force against the drug cartel whose members own the house. Macer is assigned to assist a team led by the enigmatic Matt Graver (Josh Brolin), comprising heavily armed special forces operatives and the taciturn Latino-American Alejandro (Benicio del Toro), operating primarily from military bases. Kate reluctantly accompanies the team across the border into the notorious Ciudad Juarez, from whose prison the cartel’s kingpin is to be extradited to the USA—a move whose significance is underscored by the cartel’s 'soldiers' attempting to prevent it, sparking a bloody clash in broad daylight. Upon returning to American soil, Kate begins to increasingly suspect that the operation she is involved in does not constitute any kind of criminal investigation or lawful enforcement, but rather that she has become entangled in something far darker.

Villeneuve has sought to explain in interviews how his film aims to depict the negative aspects, namely the futility, of the War on Drugs. This 'politically correct' stance is likely responsible for the effusive praise Sicario has received from the salon leftists within the American—and by extension, global—critical establishment. It would not be entirely unjustified. Villeneuve is a rather skilled director and, particularly in the first half of the film, succeeds in creating an atmosphere of discomfort and gradual yet inevitable tension escalation in an exceptionally simple yet effective manner. Significant contributions to this were made by Jóhann Jóhannsson’s dark electronic soundtrack and Roger Deakins, the esteemed and experienced cinematographer whose body of work has been largely defined by films such as 1984 and [Defence of the Realm](https://peakd.com/hive-166847/@drax/film-review-defence-of-the], which, like Sicario, carry a strong political undertone and dystopian atmosphere.

A similar phenomenon occurred in Hollywood during the leaden 1970s, which, spurred by widespread distrust in authority, produced a series of dark, dystopian thrillers through films like The Parallax View, creating something akin to a distinct genre known as 'political paranoia film'. However, comparisons with such classics will not be particularly flattering for Sicario, and the primary reason for this is the screenplay by actor Taylor Sheridan. It conveys nothing that the better-informed segment of the audience does not already know—or that someone else has not already articulated far more effectively. Such unfavourable comparisons will be further prompted by Benicio del Toro’s involvement, having starred in the thematically similar film Traffic, which handled the same subject in a far more complex and superior manner. Villeneuve’s film appears even more dismal when compared to television series that have tackled the same theme, such as the American remake of The Bridge or the legendary Breaking Bad.

The screenplay is not only unoriginal but also suffers from structural issues. Primarily, what should be the most compelling content is 'shot' long before the film’s conclusion. This pertains especially to the scene of entering and exiting Ciudad Juarez, which, although brilliantly conceived and directed, fails to be matched in intensity for the remainder of the film. Sheridan attempts to compensate by inserting a highly unconvincing subplot in which Kate, during a lull in operations, goes to a bar where she is charmed by a man who is later revealed to be a cartel operative. As the film progresses, matters deteriorate further, and when the authors finally unveil the true purpose of the operation and the motives of certain characters, the dark finale comes across as melodramatic and depressingly predictable. When coupled with aerial shots of the US-Mexico border, reminiscent of the second season of True Detective, these elements cement the impression of Sicario as one of 2015 major cinematic disappointments.

RATING: 4/10 (+)

(Note: The text in the original Croatian version was posted here.)

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