Sicario

I had to listen to the soundtrack while street-viewing Cuidad Juárez for an hour, fascinated. Sicario is a masterfully filmed, ultra-atmospheric trip to the less hospitable corners of the US-Mexican border. An excellent Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro, starring after a long time in a role worthy of his talent and the demonic impression he’s able to create. The first half-hour of getting into the situation, the environment and getting to know new colleagues shows the most precise direction possible, going beyond even David Fincher’s talent and perfectionism (and I really mean that). Therefore, it is a pity that the script gradually dilutes the initial drive and the promise of something unprecedented, resulting in something different than we would like. The main character of an idealistic FBI agent is there to reflect the viewer’s fear of the law of the jungle in a war with Mexican cartels. If I were the leader of the team in this war, I would immediately get rid of her so as not to unnecessarily hinder the storyline of a potentially unforgettable film and not to divert attention from what is essential. But the screenwriter, who sees her as less knowledgeable about the harshness of the conditions between Juarez and El Paso than the average Central European viewer, based the dramatic core of the story on her character (!). That’s too bad, because thanks to Villeneuve’s direction, Sicario could otherwise have been the year’s best film. (10/23/2015)

The reviews here criticizing Emily Blunt's character are stupid and stem from a misunderstanding of the film's concept. By choosing a fragile woman as the centre of the narrative, as a kind of wide-eyed and out of place Alice in Wonderland, Villeneuve makes the viewers themselves grope and question. Emily is a beautiful contrast to the rough world of tough men who shoot from the hip, and the final denouement is an emotional blast, giving the preceding events meaning and significance. In real life, you’ll probably end up like my friend who commented at the beginning "It's a bit confusing", and then at the end apologetically said "Okay, Villeneuve, you played me like a cat with a mouse." The kind of authenticity and rawness that Sicario presents is something that 99% of film production can only dream of. And one thing is certain, charisma has an identical twin, and his name is Benicio del Toro. (12/20/2015)

Excellently written, excellently acted. Roger Deakins’ fantastic camerawork combined with Villeneuve’s precise direction is slowly but surely catching up with David Fincher. In combination with Jóhansson’s unmusical music it paints a crushing atmosphere. Action sparse, but effective. A rich drama that breaks the rules and mixes the cards. The harsh ending comes from real life. Yeah, yeah. (10/29/2015)

It's been ages, but it feels like yesterday. I remember the feeling of tension and excitement at the premiere of Alien. I don't mean the usual scary or action scenes, but the feeling you get as if you were in a trance from encountering something that greatly exceeds the usual genre standards and newly defines the concept of quality in that genre. Since then, I've had similar feelings a few more times, but I could probably count them on one hand. After a long hiatus, I felt that chill again with Sicario. The soundtrack is one you won't forget. You feel like you're sitting on a payload of plastic explosives, where you can't see the timer, but you perceive the relentless ticking of passing seconds. At the back of your head, you have a barrel pressed against you, and the safety switch clicks off in silence. Superlatives can be used to describe the cinematography, wherein the camera quickly descends from beautiful panoramic shots of nature to the road, where the viewer becomes part of a nervously anticipating automobile convoy, waiting for a surprise attack. The editing combines details and entities interspersed with large panoramas. While watching, I constantly felt overwhelming pressure, like a champagne bottle's cork. The director creates tension by allowing the viewer, like his protagonist, to stumble in uncertainty and only providing information in necessary doses. Sicario is a raw, dirty, and morally ambiguous thriller that only superficially conforms to the usual formula of action films. Instead of noble ideals, personal scores are settled here, and cynicism dominates. As one of the anti-heroes says, if we can't get 20% of Americans to stop injecting, snorting, and swallowing drugs, drugs won't disappear, and our goal must be to maintain the simplest market structure. Interesting agreements can be made with one major supplier. The film shows the sad infinity of the struggle between repressive state forces, equipped with greater powers and budgets and effectively evading control, and organized crime on the other hand, which is not bound by any rules and becomes increasingly brutal. It is a world where the elimination of one criminal group leads to the strengthening of another. For me, this is so far the most powerful film experience of 2015, and I have only two criticisms: Neither side of the conflict embraces armed shootouts in long tunnels dug between Mexico and the United States. Professionals are well aware that bullets bouncing off rock can incredibly deviously change direction, often finding their own side as a target. And those two poor souls in the car full of drugs could hardly have expected the police to work their way to them during a minute-long shootout. Despite the above-mentioned criticisms, I wholeheartedly give it the highest rating. This is a film that hit me hard. Overall impression: 95%. (10/30/2015)

An intense procedural that pulls out the best possible concentrate from all the ingredients. It draws you into the movie theater with audiovisual fire, and, with the passing of a few days, lets the juicy thought processes ripen, ingeniously hiding behind a terse story about the clash between a young idealist and the worn-out warriors against drugs; you rarely see absolutely great filmmaking like this so laced together. I'd start shoveling over the shiny statuettes right now. (11/04/2015)