Sicario opens with a body bag. A young girl, dead in her father’s arms, killed by a bullet meant for someone else. That shot sets in motion everything that follows, and the film never lets up. This is not a movie about winning. It is a movie about being trapped.
Emily Blunt plays Kate, a DEA agent who joins a secret task force led by Josh Brolin’s character, Matt Graver. Graver operates outside the law, with no oversight and no mercy. The task force’s mission is simple: stop the cartels by any means necessary. The means available are brutal, and the line between hunter and hunted keeps getting blurred.
Trailer, via Lionsgate Movies.
Graver and Kate Face Off
Brolin gives one of the best performances of his career as Matt Graver. He is a man who believes he is doing the right thing, even when his methods are indefensible. His scenes with Blunt are the heart of the film. She is a cop who wants to follow the rules, and he is a fixer who doesn’t care about rules at all.
Their dynamic is the engine of the plot. Graver pushes Kate into situations she cannot morally justify, and the tension between them drives the story forward. Brolin plays the role with a cold precision that makes Graver feel dangerous even when he is being charming.
The Desert Setting Sets the Tone
The setting is as much a character as anyone in the cast. The desert border between the United States and Mexico is harsh, unforgiving, and beautiful in a way that makes the violence feel inevitable. The cinematography, by Roger Deakins, is stunning. The wide shots of the landscape make the characters feel small, and the close-ups of their faces make their fear feel real.
The film also uses sound design to great effect. The silence of the desert is broken by distant gunfire, and the sudden noise of a helicopter landing feels like a threat in itself. The music, by Jonny Greenwood, is sparse and unsettling. It stays out of the way, letting the images and the dialogue do the work.
The Task Force’s Rules Are the Real Villain
The task force itself is the real antagonist of the story. It is a machine designed to operate outside the law, and the people inside it are used to thinking that way. The film shows how easy it is to become part of a system that you don’t agree with, and how hard it is to get out once you’re in.
There is a moment near the end where Kate confronts Graver about what they have done. She asks him if he is proud of what they have become. The answer is not spoken aloud, but it hangs over the final scene. The film suggests that pride is the only way to survive this kind of work, and that pride comes at a terrible cost.
The Body Bag Opens the Story
The film opens with a quiet scene that establishes the stakes immediately. A girl is dead, and her father is left holding her. The shot that killed her was aimed at someone else, but the family is left with nothing. This is not a political abstraction. It is grief made visible.
From there, the film moves quickly through the task force’s operations. The group crosses the border into Mexico, where they hunt a cartel leader named Guero. The chase is relentless, and the violence is constant. But the film is less interested in the action than in the moral cost of doing the right thing in the wrong way.
The Ending Closes the Door
The ending of Sicario is bleak, and it is meant to be. The film refuses to offer any comfort. There is no resolution, no victory, no closure. Instead, there is a sense of inevitability. The cycle of violence will continue, and the people caught in it will keep paying the price.
“The body bag opens the story.”
That line captures the film’s approach. It starts with death, and it ends with the suggestion that death is the only escape.
Final Score
Sicario is a difficult film to watch, but it is a powerful one. It does not flinch from the ugliness of its subject matter, and it does not offer any easy answers. The performances are strong, the direction is assured, and the script is sharp.
It is a film about corruption, both institutional and personal. It is a film about the cost of power, and about the ways that power corrupts those who hold it. It is also a film about the people who get caught in the middle, and about how hard it is to stay clean when everyone around you is dirty.
The film is not perfect. Some of the supporting characters feel underdeveloped, and the pacing drags in the middle. But the strength of the central performance and the quality of the direction carry it through.
Sicario is a demanding film, and it rewards attention. It is not a film for everyone, but for those willing to engage with its themes, it offers a rare and powerful experience. The final score is 8.2/10.
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