Sicario 2015
I bought this movie on Blu-ray a few months ago based on good reviews and a good sale, but didn’t watch it right away. Then I heard they were doing a sequel, so I needed to find out what this was all about. Emily Blunt is a by the book FBI agent who does hostage rescues mostly, but after a raid goes bad on a house owned by a drug lord, she agrees to help out a federal drug task force. Her partner tags along, but even though he isn’t as involved, he asks more questions about what this task force is up to. The two main task force players are Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro, who are both really good. Most of the movie is trying to understand the task force and what they are trying to accomplish in Juarez, across the border from El Paso. We learn stuff through the two FBI agents as they learn it. I’m not sure how realistic it all is (seems a little too easy at times), but certainly elements of it have some truth as the Mexican drug cartels were out of control for a while and the border become increasingly militarized by the United States. It is a pretty neat movie, kind of like an up-to-date episode of Miami Vice (in a good way) but without all the silly fashion stuff. Through a series of closely spaced operations, the movie keeps you on the edge of your seat most of the time and you aren’t always sure where the danger is coming from. The characters are all good with good performances that make them seem realistic.
Written: 04 Feb 2018
Owned on: Blu-ray, DVD, Digital