Sicario
2015 · Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Original language: English
- action
- crime
- thriller
The story
An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.
What it’s like
Hazy, sun-bleached desert light gives way to cold, blue-black night in Sicario, shot by Roger Deakins with a precision that makes every frame feel like it is holding its breath. Long, slow aerial shots sweep over the border highways and dusty Texas towns, while tight handheld moments press in close during raids. The sound design does much of the work: a low, throbbing drone score by Jóhann Jóhannsson and Hildur Guðnadóttir hums beneath long stretches of near silence, broken by sudden gunfire and the thud of tunnels and car engines. The mood is taut, grim, and quietly suffocating, with dread building rather than erupting. Violence is present and sometimes abrupt, including shootings, a graphic torture sequence, and bodies in the desert, so it is not gentle viewing, though gore is restrained rather than gratuitous. Pacing is deliberate and watchful, and the emotional arc follows an idealistic agent slowly losing her footing as she realises how little she controls. Smoking and profanity appear throughout. Made for viewers who want a tense, atmospheric thriller that trades easy answers for unease and moral murk.
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