‎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…

Alternative Titles

Borderline, Sicario the Mexican Hitman, 시카리오, Sicario 1, Sicário: Terra de Ninguém

action thriller mystery drama crime

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 Josh Jewell ★★★★½

My biggest knock the first time on this film was I felt the pacing was a little off and the cop subplot was weak. Well I was wrong about the pacing!
Review by wingding_refund ★★★★½

Polishes monocle

“You know, it’s really the Obama years’ Chinatown.”
Review by brbfrp ★★★★★

Continuing my unhealthy obsession with Emily Blunt has paid off.

For the final 30 minutes I was a mere 3 inches from my screen at most, on god. I have never in my life felt so tense while watching any movie.

The cinematography. The score. Holy shit, the score. Marvelous. The acting. del Toro fucking KILLED IT.

Without a doubt this has made it into my top 10 movies, maybe it has found a home somewhere even in my top 5 of all time.
Review by Samuel_Azik ★★★★½

One of the best directed movies I’ve seen. The atmosphere is very thrilling and frightening. I’m diving into Denis Villenueve right now.
The idea of being vulnerable and having less and less control of the situations that you think you are used to, the uncertainty feels so real because we see it through Kate’s eyes. I LOVE Emily Blunt.
I also like Benicio’s character a lot. He always acts as if he knows more than us, he is two steps forward, and it seems like a feeling, but at the ending it’s obvious that he always knew more than Kate did.
The cinematography is beautiful. And I’m always going to praise Deakins.

Una de las películas mejor dirigidas que he…
Review by Daniel ★★★★★

Auch beim zweiten Sehen eine unglaubliche Wucht! Die Atmosphäre ist so dicht, dass man sie mit dem Messer schneiden könnte. Die Handlung wird so trocken, langsam und dokumentarisch erzählt, dass es auch keine Chance gibt, sich der Atmosphäre zu entziehen. Die Ratlosigkeit, Verzweiflung und Ohnmacht des Hauptcharakters Kate, unglaublich stark verkörpert von Emily Blunt, ist jederzeit spürbar und überträgt sich soweit auf den Zuschauer, dass er am Ende genauso ratlos und ohnmächtig zurückgelassen wird. Die Kamerarbeit von Deakens sucht seines Gleichen und einige Einstellungen sind wirklich für die Ewigkeit.

Unbedingte Empfehlung!
Review by Sofie ★★★★½

Queen Emily Blunt that’s all!!!
Review by Matt McKenzie ★★★★★ 1

Y’all know this movie is my shit. Performances are incredible cinematography is incredible music is incredible and fuck can Denis Villeneuve direct the shit out of a movie. Living for that spicy tension he cooks up from start to finish
Review by RyanBowman55 ★★★★½ 7

Seen this like 5 times but it’s always so tight. I only wish that there was more killing and shit
Review by Justin Bourne ★★★½

It’s not perfect, and it’s nowhere near as intense and urgent as it should be, but Sicario manages to be an effective thriller with great performances and wonderful cinematography.