Denis Villeneuve’s 2015 Mexican cartel drama Sicario takes the place of No.4 film on my lost simply due to its sheer tension and sleekness. It tells the story of the drug war between the U.S. and Mexican Cartels, and the mission undertaken to rid Mexico of one of its largest cartels. For me, Sicario excels due to 4 main elements: Cast, Cinematography, Score and Direction.
Comprised of 3 main players – Emily Blunt as the tough FBI agent set with the task of the mission, Benicio Del Toro’s silent but deadly insider and Josh Brolin as the radical special ops leader – the cast give their all in breathing life into characters in this chilling world.
Visually, Sicario is stunning. And that is all thanks to – recently Oscar winning – cinematographer Roger Deakins’ master eye. Ranging from wide pans of the Mexican Desert to haunting close up shots of our characters, Deakin’s manages to capture the fear and dread in wonderfully breath-taking shots.
The late great Jóhann Jóhannsson truly had a real talent for film scoring, and his finest was on display here. From the very first scene, Jóhannsson’s score hums with tension. Progressively through the film, the score bellows with thunder during some of the film’s finer action scenes. His symphonies are as integral to the films style as much as any of the other technical aspects.
Finally, Denis Villeneuve proves how incredible his directorial skills are. Spilling with assurance and style, Villeneuve proved that he is one of the finest directors working to date, by crafting a film so impossibly beautiful but haunting with tension.
Anarchist Analysis 