Sicario

Sicario describes with surgical precision the fatal and bloody profanation of Mexico during the long Cartel War. Perfectly shot, wonderfully cast, darkly atmospheric, disturbing, brutal and a solid plot, this is what Sicario undoubtedly offers. As highlights I would single out the mighty Benicio Del Toro who steals the finale all to himself, the crushing soundtrack that gets under your skin and the perfect atmospheric nighttime thermal vision scene (a whole new thing). To reach perfection, I would only add to the pace, which is rather lukewarm, and I would definitely add more dead bodies – the scene where four people hang naked upside down from the bridge without limbs will please many a horror eye, and this is supposedly a daily occurrence in this town!! Great job. 80%. (11/01/2015)

Despite all the considerable qualities (especially the first half is genre perfection and it is unusually intense), in the last third it turns into "awakening from naivety" and nothing more. Which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if it weren't so obvious starting from the scene on the plane (which is about the twentieth minute) and especially if the main heroine wasn't so unrealistically extremely naive (not to be confused with her moral principles), although Emily performed her character well in an otherwise believable procedural movie it seems unnatural and disturbing. And so the viewer waits for the final twenty minutes eagerly until he finally comes to know what everyone already knows for a long time. The fact that the whole thing, despite the naive screenplay, still works perfectly is because Villeneuve/Deakins/Del Toro/Jóhannsson are great together. But maybe I'm just spoiled by Don The Cartel and Winslow that even an absolute masterpiece in this department looks void to me. (10/29/2015)

I had to listen to the soundtrack while street-viewing Cuidad Juárez for an hour, fascinated. Sicario is a masterfully filmed, ultra-atmospheric trip to the less hospitable corners of the US-Mexican border. An excellent Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro, starring after a long time in a role worthy of his talent and the demonic impression he’s able to create. The first half-hour of getting into the situation, the environment and getting to know new colleagues shows the most precise direction possible, going beyond even David Fincher’s talent and perfectionism (and I really mean that). Therefore, it is a pity that the script gradually dilutes the initial drive and the promise of something unprecedented, resulting in something different than we would like. The main character of an idealistic FBI agent is there to reflect the viewer’s fear of the law of the jungle in a war with Mexican cartels. If I were the leader of the team in this war, I would immediately get rid of her so as not to unnecessarily hinder the storyline of a potentially unforgettable film and not to divert attention from what is essential. But the screenwriter, who sees her as less knowledgeable about the harshness of the conditions between Juarez and El Paso than the average Central European viewer, based the dramatic core of the story on her character (!). That’s too bad, because thanks to Villeneuve’s direction, Sicario could otherwise have been the year’s best film. (10/23/2015)

The reviews here criticizing Emily Blunt's character are stupid and stem from a misunderstanding of the film's concept. By choosing a fragile woman as the centre of the narrative, as a kind of wide-eyed and out of place Alice in Wonderland, Villeneuve makes the viewers themselves grope and question. Emily is a beautiful contrast to the rough world of tough men who shoot from the hip, and the final denouement is an emotional blast, giving the preceding events meaning and significance. In real life, you’ll probably end up like my friend who commented at the beginning "It's a bit confusing", and then at the end apologetically said "Okay, Villeneuve, you played me like a cat with a mouse." The kind of authenticity and rawness that Sicario presents is something that 99% of film production can only dream of. And one thing is certain, charisma has an identical twin, and his name is Benicio del Toro. (12/20/2015)

An intense procedural that pulls out the best possible concentrate from all the ingredients. It draws you into the movie theater with audiovisual fire, and, with the passing of a few days, lets the juicy thought processes ripen, ingeniously hiding behind a terse story about the clash between a young idealist and the worn-out warriors against drugs; you rarely see absolutely great filmmaking like this so laced together. I'd start shoveling over the shiny statuettes right now. (11/04/2015)