"Sicario" (2015)

“Sicario” (2015)

Sicario means “hitman”. And this movie isn’t about the first protagonist we see. A girl name Kate working for the United States government who stumbles on a drug war issue that she is in over her head. Keep the title in mind, because it doesn’t mean much until much later.

The major issue I have with this movie is the flat garbage digital look of it. Clean with detail in every crevice of every shadow. Blargh. Like looking at “Cops” in high definition. The fact that Roger Deakins shot this makes my stomach turn, since his next at bat is going through the next “Blade Runner”…in digital. Alright, anger aside, this is directed by Denis Villenuvue, who clearly knows how to linger on shots. Every shot you wonder where the next piece of violence is going to come from. They linger on violence as if we’re suppose to be sicken by it. Yeah, 2003, all the beheadings and dismemberments by drug dealers to “send a message” was tough. Nowadays, you’re being outdone by ISIS. And quite frankly no one cares Juarez, Mexico is imploding. Good, it’s a garbage dump in America’s backyard. And the movie pretends as if we should care. Well, not really. See, their statement is far more insidious then we know. Which, by the way, don’t you hate movies where the main actor is always told “you have no idea what you’re involved in.” Yeah, in this case, there was NO reason for Kate to be involved, other than to be a damsel in distress. In fact, you know LESS about her in the end than you do in the beginning. Which means you don’t really care. And there is a gut wrenching moment at the end, which is corny manipulative for her to decide which part of the line she stands. Here’s something without ruining it for you, it’s obvious which line she is unwilling to cross. The question then being…why?

Performances by Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin are fantastic. Mostly Del Toro whose sad sack eyes tell awful stories of his past, through mumbly crumbs of drug war fatigued wisdom. Brolin has come a LONG way from “The Goonies.” Here, he plays a very questionable government agent (which one?) and is the staple “I’m too cool for school” tough guy.

The main issue with this movie I have are the long winded political ambiguity which grate on me. What starts off as an investigation into the deaths of multiple Mexicans on American soil turns into a revenge plot somewhere, and the U.S.’s blame on supporting some, but admonishing others, all so that we feel good about ourselves. It’s grim, and harsh. And the violence isn’t honor among thieves. You feel dirty, because there is collateral damage. And maybe you question yourself as to why you are okay with some hits, while not with others. But, what starts off really taut and finger biting, anxiety inducing street war, turns into a moral story that goes so deep you question the validity of it which serves only the script.

I really think Tony Scott, if he were alive, would’ve made this movie better. His style fit better with the material (as in “Man On Fire”) than this dragged out confessional. In the end, it could’ve been a t.v. movie.