Director Denis Villeneuve just doesn't seem to know how to make a bad film - I've loved every one of them and Sicario is no exception.
Here he reteams with Roger Deakins on camera duties, casting the compelling trio of Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro in the lead roles.
'Sicario' means "hitman". The reason this film is called that only reveals itself it in the final climactic stages - one of the many highlights of this cleverly woven story.
Blunt is play-by-the rules FBI agent Kate Macer. As part of her role leading an anti-kidnap squad near the border with Mexico, the cross-over into the dark, violent and ruthless world of the drug cartels can't be ignored.
When she's seconded into a shady government team led by the smooth talking Matt (Josh Brolin), and the even shadier Alejandro (Benicio del Toro) lurking in the shadows, her moral compass is in dire danger of spinning out of control.
Who to trust? Along with Macer, we will be the last people to know.
Emily Blunt owns this movie, for many different reasons. The film is moody and intimately immersive one moment, brutal shocking and horrifying in the next, managing to deliver high-octane action entertainment with both a conscience, and a heart.
Four-and-a-half stars.
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Sicario:: Director: Denis Villeneuve:: Starring: Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Jon Bernthal, Victor Garber, Jeffrey Donovan:: Rating: R16 - Graphic violence & content that may disturb:: Running Time: 121 minutes:: Release Date: September 17, 2015
