It seems only appropriate that the day before Halloween I check out what is arguable the best horror movie of the year. Except the film - Denis Villeneuve's Sicario, doesn't exactly bill itself as such. But yet that is what this crime thriller about FBI Agent Kate Macer being thrust into the ambiguous battle of the Mexican Drug War turns out to very much be.
As I side note: hello, I'm back. I believe its been...wow, over a year. This blog clearly did not turn into whatever it was that I hoped it would be. But to be honest, if you were anxiously sitting around waiting for the next post since last May, you probably should acquaint yourself with the rest of the internet. I hear there's some pretty good stuff there, and fairly up to date last I checked. Will this start to become a regular thing again? Who knows. I'm not getting paid, so I might just say "fuck it" and leave it at this.
This film cements Villeneuve as cinema's premier purveyor of darkness, who - with Blunt as our guide and Cinematographer Roger Deakins as our well-trained eyes, take our hand and lead us deeper and deeper into the film's black heart. Like our lead - sometimes we volunteer, sometimes we have to be dragged. But yet we end up there nonetheless, witnessing things that we probably shouldn't. It's only right that, after spending its first hour in the scorching daylight of the southwest, the film climaxes under the cover of night - so much so that Deakins turns on the night-vision. This is one of many similarities that, fleetingly, remind one of Zero Dark Thirty. But Sicario is a different beast. While both deal with the complexities and ambiguities of modern "warfare," this film doesn't attempt to address the "why" of the the war, but more the "how," in a purely objective form - we see both sides of the fight and then have to make up our own minds as to a) whether what's being done is right; and b) whether its worth it in the first place. In the few lines of exposition given to Matt Graver (Josh Brolin), he tells Kate not a broad scope of ideals and goals in the War, but rather a small labyrinth of battles - many on a personal level - that theoretically lead to not peace, not even the "order" he suggests, but a perhaps a brief moment of accomplishment before the next battle. It is a stalemate and they keep trying to move the pawns forward as best they can without considering the grander scheme. It is through this tunnel-vision that we are to view the film.
As Kate, Blunt stands out in one of the best performances of the year, and - if we are gonna talk about such things - is my opinion is the one to beat in the Best Actress race for this year. Her portrayal of a hardened idealist slowly being worn down by the situation around her - not to mention the repeated incidents of danger she finds herself in, is at times extraordinary. But it's the fact that she volunteers and continues to throughout this terrifying trip into the heart of darkness that makes her stand out. She captures both the complexities of the character's thoughts, as well as the audience's, being neither fully composed, nor fully broken and emotional. When, in the middle of a terrifically staged nail-biter of a set-piece taking place at the US-Mexico border crossing she utters quite appropriately "what the fuck is going on?" she voices exactly the audience's thoughts (or at least mine). Like Kate, we are given very little information to set up the film's key moments, having to wait for later to get them (vaguely) explained. A mix of Ellen Ripley and Clarice Starling, but with a darker frame of mind that suits her role within the 21st century's at once-militarized and highly-secretive form of law enforcement. She is trying to do whats right and solve what she believes to be "the case", while also simply fighting for survival within what is otherwise a battle of men-against-men.
The cast is also highlighted by a terrific turn by Benicio del Toro as Alejandro, Matt's partner who Kate slowly realizes is not exactly on their team. But is at the same time. You'll see what I mean. His performance reminded me a lot of Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men, except if he was working with the authorities. A man of few words, he moves through the film like a ghost with no rules but his own.
If Sicario lacks anything, its a sense of humour. We are given only brief snippets of light shining through the floorboards that we seem to be trapped under for the film's duration. Most of these come in the form of the banter between Kate and her FBI partner Reggie (Daniel Kaluuya). But it doesn't last. The two play off each other as brilliantly perplexed, horrified, yet committed and driven to finish the job as they slowly realize that they are merely pawns in a grand game played by their mysterious superiors. It should come as hardly a surprise that, after a series of expertly constructed action sequences involving (spoilers) a lot of gun shots and people dying, perhaps the film's most suspenseful and anxious moment comes down to Blunt signing (or not signing) a piece of paper.
As usual Villeneuve and Deakins deliver in all the best ways, giving one the exact shot that you want at the perfect moment - except for the multiple times where they do better than you can imagine. The score by Johann Johannsson accentuates the atmosphere with low rumbles and stings of terror in one of the more creative uses of orchestra for film music I've heard in a while. Along with a strong script by freshman screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, which makes up for its lack of memorable or extraordinary dialogue by simply giving a blueprint for which the film to build on for the visual and nonverbal moments, they bring together the oft-brilliant cast to create a work that, for me, is the high water mark for 2015 thus far. We still have a ways to go, but it will hard to find a film that more than this will shake you to your core and make you want to take a long silent walk afterwards to let it all sink in. Sicario gets under your skin and stays there, worming its way into your brain.
On that note, Happy Halloween.
