Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Theatrical review. Possible spoilers. Anyone who has seen the movie or watches TV probably already knows that sicario is Spanish for “hitman” or an assassin for hire. The word originated from the Latin Sicarri which were Jewish Zealots who tried to oust the Romans from Judea. The Sicarii carried concealed, small daggers called sicae to exercise their lethal deeds. But enough of an ancient history lesson. In this splendid thriller helmed by Denis Villeneuve (“Prisoners”), the title applies to a mysterious Colombian called Alejandro, brilliantly played by Benicio Del Toro (“Savages”). FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is assigned to a special inter-agency task force charged with getting the goods on the Mexican drug cartel operating near the border. She is surprised to find herself at an Air Force base in El Paso where she meets the leader of the group, Matt Graver (Josh Brolin). She is uncertain as to why her role, and that of her partner, Reggie (Daniel Kaluuya), seem to be just an observer. While not sure, she suspects that the task force is a dark ops group of the CIA which is legally prohibited from operating in the U. S. The FBI provides legal cover. But Graver has no intention of giving Kate and Reggie information as to what is really going on. Kate is uncomfortable with the whole idea but believes in the mission after a gruesome discovery in found inside the U. S. The film is profane, violent and second guesses what is right and wrong. Del Toro’s performance is award worthy. He’s scary as hell, yet his character is modulated and highly focused. His scenes with the equally good Blunt, as the idealistic agent, are some of the best I’ve seen this year. In fact, the movie is one of the best I’ve seen all year. The pace is relentless, the tension excruciating, providing a fast moving thriller. Technically the film is well done as well. An excellent musical score by Johann Johannsson elevates the tension and Roger Deakins cinematography is perfect as usual. But the movie is more than excellent entertainment. It may come later, but the film should raise questions about our ethics and morality in these events. BLU RAY UPDATE (7-6-16) This was one of my favorite movies of 2015 and here’s another look, this time on Blu ray. It’s always fun to go back to watch great movies. You can rely less on plot focus and just look at the technical aspects of the film. And you might even answer a question or two that had you a bit befuddled the first time around. Here, it became clearer as to what Alejandro’s past entailed and specifically why the U. S. was supporting his clandestine operation. One of the things that stood out was the wonderful photography of Roger Deakins. Using New Mexico for most of the shooting, vast open spaces were certainly consistent with the look south of the border. There is a great shot of the shadow of a miles high airplane flying across a barren mesa. Even more impressive were the night shots, some reportedly in total darkness. Using infrared and night goggles, the scenes are fluid and foreboding. Another unforgettable element of the film is the first rate soundtrack composed by Johann Johannsson. In one scene, several helicopters approach the border, flying low. We hear the blades rotating and first quietly, then getting louder, culminating in an ominous crescendo of acoustic basses, cellos, horns and drums that set the tone of the film. The Blu ray package includes a DVD and a digital download. It comes with a 1080p video resolution shot with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The transfer looks great. The movie was shot using digital cameras and they work well with the sometimes dusty, brown countryside. This is not a film that produces eye popping colors although some of the dirty street scenes of Juarez (actually Mexico City) still provide an assortment of blues, yellows and reds. Various close ups provide excellent skin tones. You can clearly see the red rash around Kate’s neck after a close encounter of the male kind. The audio is top notch with a Dolby Atmos track that defaults to Dolby TrueHD 7.1. The film includes the aforementioned helicopters panning across the room but there are high speed SUVs marching through narrow streets and plenty of the pop, pop, pop of gunfire. Johannsson’s score becomes part of the movie itself, raising the tension and it thunders throughout the room and keeps the sub(s) plenty busy. Subtitles are available in English SDH and Spanish. A great movie and a great transfer. Here are the extras: * Stepping Into Darkness * The Visual Design of Sicario • Blunt, Brolin, and Benicio: Portraying the Characters of Sicario • A Pulse From The Desert: The Score of Sicario • Battle Zone: Inside The World of Sicario