Film No. 68 (2015) Sicario September 20th.

Film No. 68 (2015) September 20th.  4.00 PM GREATER UNION Innaloo. 

"You're not American, so who do you work for now?" (Kate asks Alejandro a key question related to his role in the U.S. squad she has been seconded to).

 

 

The unnerving Sicario will grab your attention from the beginning and if you are lucky it will release you with a sudden shrug two hours later. While it is nothing like No Country For Old Men I couldn't help but feel that the dread Del Toro's Alesandro filled me with reminded me of Bartom's Anton. That type A personality you hope you only ever had to meet for a fleeting moment, once in your life.

 

The real wonder of Sicario is the film's ability to place us in the shadow of Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) as she accepts a secondment into a task force she naively assumes is an arm of the CIA. We are carried along with Kate knowing as much as she does as Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) convinces her that this is the only way she is going to fulfill any of her idealistic aims of quelling the mayhem caused by drug cartels between Mexico and the U.S. border.

 

Because this is my favourite film of 2015 so far, I'm loathe to give too much away. While Diary of a Teenage Girl (seen the day prior) is poles apart from Sicario they both take us on a coming of age journey. While we hope Minnie turns out okay we pray for Kate to be safe because we are petrified we might die with her. Not really but the film is effective in its grip on our senses. Villeneuve did a similar job on us with Prisoners two years back as we rooted for Hugh Jackman's Keller as he took the law into his own hands.

 

Sicario builds a tension so tight there is great relief when the titles roll. Like all good films that tension is built slowly and subtly. Then, and only then, are some of our questions answered. Kate began her journey trusting her instincts and the men surrounding her. What happens after that will convince you that the saying "Never trust a book by its cover" has great meaning. My warning however is, this film is not for the squeamish. 11GUMS