‎Sicario (2015) directed by Denis Villeneuve • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

Sicario

2015 Directed by Denis Villeneuve

The border is just another line to cross.

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.

Emily Blunt Benicio del Toro Josh Brolin Victor Garber Jon Bernthal Daniel Kaluuya Jeffrey Donovan Raoul Max Trujillo Julio Cedillo Hank Rogerson Bernardo P. Saracino Maximiliano Hernández Kevin Wiggins Edgar Arreola Kim Larrichio Jesus Nevarez-Castillo Dylan Kenin Sarah Minnich Matthew Page Lora Martinez-Cunningham John Burke John Trejo Vic Browder Eb Lottimer Marty Lindsey Alex Knight Rio Alexander Eric Steinig Matthew Tompkins Show All…

122 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Mike D'Angelo ★★★★½ 36

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

83/100

Second viewing, no change. Having now professionally reviewed this film four times (for The Dissolve from Cannes, and then for the A.V. Club, the Nashville Scene, and the Las Vegas Weekly), I thought I had nothing left to say, especially since I made a point of addressing the most common criticisms. But since a bunch of folks are praising Adam Nayman's takedown for Reverse Shot, let me quickly address a few of his points.

“I have to know,” Kate tells her pal Reggie (Daniel Kaluuya), but there’s little urgency in the role or the performance—and almost none of the obsessive fervor that bled through Jessica Chastain’s porcelain features in Zero Dark Thirty.

A couple more paragraphs about Zero Dark…
Review by SilentDawn ★★★★★ 25

91/100

Sicario, not unlike its translation into "hitman", revolves around the act of stealth and the aura of tension it creates. Denis Villeneuve, teaming up again with master DP Roger Deakins, conjures up images of supreme darkness, but the true accomplishment comes not from horror within the now but from the foreboding blare of escalating dread.

It's nothing less than a sublime concoction, but one that decays as soon as familiarity is presented. With Deakins' soul-searing cinematography, Johann Johannsson's heart-exploding score, and Villeneuve's tracking mindset of "firecracker" pops and splattering eruption; Sicario is an experience that will enthrall any fan of artfully presented gloom, but its subtext and interconnected view of political systems will be even harder to shake.

Emily…
Review by Matt Singer ★★★★ 6

Remember the scene in BOOGIE NIGHTS where Alfred Molina is randomly tossing firecrackers at Mark Wahlberg and John C. Reilly? SICARIO is like that scene for two straight hours with no “Sister Christian.” It is intense.

TIFF '15 Review #2: screencrush.com/sicario-review-tiff/
Review by gabriel guimarães ★★★★★

The best episode of Narcos I have ever seen.
Review by Evan ★★★★½ 4

Sicario might mean Hitman in Mexico. But in my world, Sicario means intense as fucking shit!

Also, that night scene is the best video game movie we will ever get.
Review by Erik Nordgren ★★★★★ 4

god said let there be light and roger deakins said wait for my cue

Recent reviews

Review by Will Whitehead ★★★½

Good film. Perfect direction as per from Villeneuve, loved the acting. The story was a little odd & seemed slightly unfocused but not to the point where it was unenjoyable. Maybe my least fav Villeneuve but bad Villeneuve is still better than most other things
Review by lizzie ★★★★½

“You will not survive here. You are not a wolf, and this is a land of wolves now”

i had no idea what i was getting myself into when i put this on, it was everything i wasn’t expecting in the best way possible. and miss emily blunt gives such an amazing performance she has literally never disappointed me i swear i’m in love with her
Review by Filmfreund1988 ★★★★

Eines vorweg. Der Film ist wahnsinnig gut inszeniert und gefilmt. Technisch gesehen gibt es rein gar nichts zu beanstanden. Die Musik untermalt das Geschehen auch toll. Die Story überzeugt und bleibt spannend. Der Cast ist super. Einzig und allein vermochte mich der Film nicht wirklich emotional zu berühren. Trotzdem stark.
Review by Caitlin ★★★½

Well, that was morally ambiguous.
Review by elisa ★★★★½

violent but quiet, thrilling but restrained. hard just as reality is. the story is fluid and engaging. emily blunt and benicio del toro absolutely kill it (& their dynamic is great). cinematography is amazing from minute 1. score isn't a protagonist but is memorable.
now i can't wait for soldado.
Review by Gustaf Molin ★★★★½

This is a good sit. In many different ways.
Review by Jonas0912 ★★★★½

Thrilling, authentic story with an amazing cast and out of this world cinematography.
Review by Millican Adams

i got to watch a little less than half an hour of this today before i had to switch over. a good chunk of what i understood was just emily blunt looking distinctly uncomfortable as men existed around her. i don't think the film is actually about that, narrative-wise, but as a snapshot it was pretty okay. really not keen on being shown feet though; keep it in the tarantino films please.
Review by illegalswede ★★★★

A tense, brutal watch.