Sicario (2015)

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A young female FBI agent joins a secret CIA operation to take down a Mexican cartel boss, a job that ends up pushing her ethical and moral values to the limit. (imdb)

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Directed By: Denis Villeneuve

Written By: Taylor Sheridan

Starring: Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Victor Garber, Emily Blunt, Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Donovan, Raoul Max Trujillo, Daniel Kaluuya, Lora Martinez-Cunningham, Maximiliano Hernández, Julio Cesar Cedillo, Hank Rogerson

Genres: Drama, Suspense/Thriller, Crime, Mystery

Franchise: Sicario

Country: Hong Kong, Mexico, USA

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Sicario belongs to 36 collections

1. AAA: Empire's five star movies (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 24 stars)

2. Edgar Wright 1000 Favorite Movies (Aug 2016) (collaborative: moderated by Aron Ericson - 17 stars)

3. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 13 stars)

4. Best by different standards (public: sesito71 - 6 stars)

5. Roger Deakins, Cinematographer (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 5 stars)

6. Top 3000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 5 stars)

7. Cannes 2015 Official Selection (collaborative: moderated by CCLZA - 3 stars)

8. 88th Academy Award Nominations (collaborative: moderated by Johnny Mo - 3 stars)

9. Masters of Light: Modern Cinematography (collaborative: moderated by DeadFox - 3 stars)

10. Top 1000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 3 stars)

11. FBI (collaborative: moderated by livelove - 2 stars)

12. Best Original screenplay (collaborative: moderated by Roman_Herbom - 2 stars)

13. Canadian director (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 2 stars)

14. Top 2000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 2 stars)

15. NBR Top 10 Films (collaborative: moderated by xacviant - 1 star)

16. 4k Ultra HD discs owned (collaborative: moderated by dumbjaw - 1 star)

17. Jóhann Jóhannsson (composer) (collaborative: moderated by djross)

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25. 2015, Best of (public: Matthew Parkinson)

26. The AV Club 20 best films of 2015 (public: TychoCelchuu)

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All Ratings | With Reviews

Order by:

TCI | Percentile | Date Rated | # Stars (Reviews)

Stars	User	Rating
15	eCitizen	80 _83rd
Excellent cast. Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin all gave great performances. Blunt the dedicated police officer involved in a brutal operation is over her head. Del Toro was amazing as the renegade warrior. Brolin was also a very good undercover agent. The story is sometimes confusing or obfuscated but remained engaging & interesting. Gripping music ads to the excitement. Sometimes jarring pace. Tensions frequently puts you on the edge of your seat. Raw & violent.
12	Paxton	85 _93rd
Features a house with more corpses than the house from House of 1000 Corpses. Features a border sequence that has more traffic than the movie Traffic. Features a raid with more night vision scenes than the movie Night Visions. I had to look that one up myself. Hey! Wes Craven. I learned something today.
11	terrymac	83 _91st
This is very good. Dark, bleak and tense, the threat of danger lurks everywhere and there are no real heroes to root for. Villeneuve has put a hopeless, horrifying world up on the screen. Blunt is excellent, strong and capable, but also vulnerable and conflicted when she sees what the "good guys" are up to. Del Toro is great too, materialising malevolently throughout. Perhaps light on story, but beautifully shot, adeptly handled, and with a brooding downbeat score that heightens the atmosphere.
11	Barthalen	79 _77th
I'm always down for stories that leave me stranded in a mire of ethical dilemmas and moral decay, much akin to a cutesy horse irrevocably sinking into a swamp and oh god only now do I realise I never recovered from my Neverending Story movie trauma... Anyhoo, Sicario got me invested easily, made me wring my hands nervously at times, features great performances but was over too soon, leaving me a bit dissatisfied. Make this a tv show and I can die happy(ish).
9	Alex Watkins	5 _91st
On the mundanity of the bureaucratic machinations that guide the deep state in its extra-legal (read: illegal) efforts to violently assert a measure of control over the chaos which it had so large a hand in creating. It's the police procedural as anti-action film, in which violence is portrayed as brutal, brief, efficient, and ugly. Villeneuve's best to date.
9	BillyShears	90 _92nd
The musical score accentuates a feeling of DOOM. I was hiding in my popcorn bag by the time the movie was over and an usher almost threw me in the trash.
9	Luna6ix	81 _77th
In the past, I've been somewhat disappointed with action/thrillers that cater to critics. I've always seen the subgenre in the way Mickey Spillaine defended his own books: "there are more salted peanuts consumed than caviar." It's a blue collar genre, so to see such acclaim made me skeptical. But the truth is, "Sicario" is, indeed, good. It's not amazing, but it's easily worth the price of admission. Even if Emily Blunt's straight cop act is a little much.
9	Ippei	80 _86th
The man knows how to build tension. Combination of the sweeping scenery, the menacing bass line music and the tight edits, it gets so tense you have to hold your breath. He also knows how to draw amazing performances and there's no better in this than Benicio. The story didn't exactly blow me away but as a film, it's terrific.
8	kevinjoseph	68 _67th
Subtle acting, an unsettling score, and cinematography with incredible use of shadow made for a wonderfully tense, paranoiac atmosphere. But if I'm being honest, I had no clue what the heck was going on from start to finish.
8	TheEscapist	74 _72nd
Has some exceptional qualities. Good acting. An amazingly dark and intense atmosphere, building of tension, soundtrack that only increases this even further and cinematography that oozes intensity and realism. However the ending left me feeling dissatisfied, it is too abrupt, too indecisive, too empty. After the great opening scene I was expecting a different film. It's still a good film with some amazing scenes and qualities. But I feel like it could have been even better with a better script.
7	Kojiless	64 _68th
SPOILERZ: Some movies exist to teach, others to entertain, while some movies exist for the sole purpose of showing us lowly plebs a single miraculous scene. This is one of the latter. I imagine a smoky board room in Hollywood somewhere filled with nervous screenwriters. After a few uncomfortable moments of silence, an executive just folds his hands and says, "I want Benicio del Toro to shoot a dude's kids while they're dining on fajitas," and they had a first draft by lunch.
7	KasperL	80 _86th
I'll just "borrow" these spot-on snippets from metacritic for a minute... By Jessica Kiang (The Playlist): "Amazing to look at, amazing to listen to, yet just a bit underwhelming to really think about, Sicario is superlatively strong in every conceivable way except story." By Michael Philips: "Sicario doesn't fall apart in its second half, exactly, but it does settle for less than it should." Done.
6	Moribunny	58 _48th
The Mexican drug cartel war has always fascinated me and I had been waiting for movies to be made about it, honestly, hoping for a realistic look inside. Sicario is better than anything I've seen from Villeneuve. It's a generic, conventional modern thriller, but more nerve-racking than most, benefits from a powerhouse Del Toro performance, and recalls Kathryn Bigelow somewhat. It gave me some superficial enjoyment, but it's just too slick and shallow to have what I really look for.
6	topaz420	90 _91st
I hope you like feeling like you're in actual, physical danger for 2 hours. I do.
6	omgfridge	7 _65th
Everything is intensified by the great score and cinematography. Polished, well acted if not missing that little extra story wise that makes a film truly great. Road block scene will be one of 2015's best.
6	Leonardis	94 _80th
I found this to be very well-made. The writing was tight and the DVs directing was also quite good. The story seemed like something Michael Mann would have directed, but Villenauve did it well. As many are saying Blunt is really good and so is del Toro. It is slow, but it felt somewhat original and I didn't think it felt like 2 hours. It's for patient viewers but it's worth a watch.
5	Vassago	75 _70th
Score, the cinematography and acting is great, but the story is an ordinary one.
5	Judo Koala	77 _64th
Villeneuve once again displays individual sequences as being greater than the sum of the film's parts, its moments of excellence (traffic jam, underground tunnel sequences) seemingly anomalies in an otherwise fairly straightforward thriller that meditates on the dehumanization of individuals as the result of outside forces (much like what 'Prisoners' aims for). Overall tight direction, but its exploration of such ideas do not go much beyond that of the superficial.
5	filmfreak88	80 _78th
Oh my God, that border/roadblock scene was intense! Villeneuve really knows how to wring tension and moral ambiguity from the hellish and hopelessly complicated nature of the war on drugs. The film is probably less substantial than it aspires to be, but it's so compellingly executed that it almost doesn't matter.
5	guy piranha	90 _98th
unbelievable cinematography, i couldn't take my eyes off even for a second. deakins was the main storyteller here. which is sort of my only criticism: there's some really weak and clichéd expository dialog where absolutely none was needed (juarez is so bad! you hear that? that ain't firecrackers! welcome to hell! etc.), the mood was already set perfectly by the brilliant audiovisual composition of deakins and johannsson. flawless acting by everyone, too.
5	NothingsGood	75 _83rd
The least morally ambiguous morally ambiguous movie ever made.
5	ribcage	86 _87th
Some of the best acting put to film with some of the very best cinematography ( so much of the visuals will stay with me...particularly the dark scenes towards the end) make for an incredibly engaging film. Blunt may never top this one. Very tense story, very real honest characters and a very honest look at reality.
5	realitas	67 _15th
Great cinematography, but the plot is sloppy and the Brolin and Del Toro characters become tedious. The makers are too impressed by these tough guys to give them any weakness or inconsistency. We are only granted the self-assured perspective of these two and the naive perspective of Blunt's newbie character. What the Coen brothers do so well, in a similar genre, is to stand outside of the world that their characters inhabit, revealing its absurdity. Sicario errs on the side of fetishisation.
4	twincinema	75 _64th
Reminds me of Zero Dark Thirty, mostly because a female lead is dropped into a masculine setting and forced to navigate through an impossibly large "enemy". A well-made film that doesn't romanticize the violence, but instead offers it as a cautious reminder of how it is truly ugly and brutal.
4	Obdurate	95 _97th
Brilliant. The music (especially that one drone-y song) just adds to the sense of overwhelming dread that is prevalent and suffocating throughout. Villeneuve lets the camera linger longer on a shot than most directors today, and he made Mexico a genuinely frightening character in itself, where you can't trust anything or anybody. Great performances around (especially my girl Blunt), with an intelligent script. Plus that abrupt ending... oh my god, yes.
4	TheRealJ-Ro	75 _55th
I'm always down for a Denis Villeneuve flick and he doesn't disappoint here. Seriously, get this guy more work, because he's become close to a sure-thing. "Sicario" keeps you engaged and invested in what's going on (and if in nothing or no-one else, Blunt's character herself), but if I'm being honest, I'm not in love with this. I recognize it's good, but I'm not ga-ga. You might be, though! This is totally worth checking out. And that tunnel sequence? Worth the price of admission all by itself.
4	Cinema_Asia	75 _71st
Who, what, where, and when? This is what we ask when we watch something like this. The protagonist doesn't even know what is going on. We are taken along for a deep dark heart of darkness journey into cartel land. There is no real explanation at the end..just because. It's because we are living in amoral times where information is limitless but still noticeably absent where it truly matters. The message becomes clear.. FBI Agent Macer is supposed to be us..naive, patriotic, and unwitting.
3	PeaceAnarchy	84 _77th
Great thriller with strong performances that cover over some of the narrative holes. The core is strong and it all fits together as you watch it, which is the most important thing.
3	AFlickering	4 _58th
electrifying cartel thriller about the uncontrollable, volatile, nasty sprawl of organised crime and the powerlessness, disorientation, marginalisation, horror, despair and above all the identity crises of idealistic minorities fighting it from within a cynical, complicit system. written as clunkily as ZERO DARK THIRTY or PRISONERS, but audiovisually it serves its theme quite spectacularly and the set pieces are gold. also like 0DT, most of its moral detractors seem to have missed the point.
3	Suture Self	7 _67th
Contrary to some (ex: Judge Holden), I thought the final sequence was the most complex and compelling part of the film. The convergence of the subplot and the main narrative, as well as the concluding allusion to the film's title, brings everything together, allowing the film to differentiate itself from most other white-knuckle thrillers because, ultimately, SICARIO is about the fallout of families disintegrating, and the ending demonstrates this in a powerful way. Del Toro is excellent.
3	MJVmovieMan	73 _60th
It's a well-made, hard-hitting thriller that doesn't apologize or pander to audiences looking for conventional resolution. Villeneuve's film is tough stuff - as we would come to expect from his work. Where his film could have succeeded further is in keeping Blunt's character at the forefront through the final act. Instead he shifts focus to del Toro which took me out of the story's merits. I do not need to see this film again, nor do I 'recommend' it, but it punches and drains you as intended.
3	frederic_g54	8 _77th
Ooh, just give him the Metal Gear franchise already!
3	Charlie	90 _96th
Villeneuve is more and more becoming one of my favorite directors. And Sicario is one of the years best. No doubt about that. #3700
3	Ofterdingen	75 _87th
The cinematic version of a wounded animal. Or if Michael Mann directed 'Traffic'.
3	Neonman	75 _50th
More substantial than Zero Dark Thirty, but less so than Silence of the Lambs (all three of which feature cool night-vision scenes), this is a rather good crime-thriller with more than a handful of intense sequences and great acting. It misses out on being something of a masterpiece due to a lack of scope on such an important subject matter, but is certainly uncompromising with its depiction of the ethics involved in American forces in other countries (as well as vengeance as a whole).
3	WWallce4prez	85 _87th
Emily Blunt is having a bad couple of days on the job. The story isn't revolutionary, but the insane tension and brooding atmosphere makes for an extremely enjoyable film. Villeneuve may have an impossible name to pronounce, but he is slowly becoming a leader on how to create some serious suspense.
3	JacoIII	47 _94th
An incredible film. Uses light, shadow, music, and shot composition to deepen the script, instead of relying on long digressions from the characters. The script itself is bare bones (in the best possible way). I don't think there are more than 10 lines that aren't directly related to the ongoing conflicts in the film. No weepy arguments about family or morality. No trite moments of revelation or justice. Just the story, and the characters.
3	Gideon	2 _59th
Yet another drawn-out meditation on violence, depravity and fatalism. The problem lies within the script. Newcomer Sheridan didn't have the gusto to make Sicario a true great film. The true strengths in this film are a) Roger Deakins who never ceases to impress me and b)enicio Del Toro, who is on fire and, sad to say, would have been capable of so-much-more if only the script would have been stronger.Sicario shifts from one narrative to the other and ultimately feels disjointed. Decent. No more.
3	FrederikA	75 _77th
Another fine entry into the annals of "Stay the fuck out of Mexico", and director Denis Villeneuve is by now, a name I need to be able to remember. Ultimately though (and I guess befittingly for a film about the never-ending war on drugs) it ends unresolved and pretty unsatisfying.
3	krf7	95 _97th
I'm predicting this guy Deakins to have a very bright career.
3	Matthew Parkinson (CineMarter)	90 _97th
Sicario is a tense thriller with a brain and a message, showcasing the darker side to the war on drugs. Individual moments are filled with so much suspense that you'll struggle to look away from the screen, even though what's being shown is hard to watch. The film strips away any idealism from the war on drugs, painting both sides in varying shades of gray that the movies so often try to force into camps of black or white. [Full Review]
3	thegreyfox	75 _62nd
As I get older it seems plots are becoming more and more ludicrous. S was beautifully filmed and some scenes were palpably tense, but you have to ask why the CIA picked a conscientious FBI agent as their 'stooge', (rather than someone a bit flakey), as they dont involve her, tell her their target or explain what the hell they are doing; it's a recipe for disaster. But hey ho, when you have bus loads of mexicans who can reveal where secret tunnels are and not fear for their lives, life is good
3	Hofschneider	85 _81st
The 1 h is amazing suspence cinema, that even finds moments of political observations, which will probably be very demanding for a lot of viewers, although I loved them being not misleading but simply incomplete. While that lack of information and the soundtrack install an undertow powerful like a tsunami! And than: Blunt is out and Del Toro is in and Sicario becomes a ego-shooter-slaughtering that still has the camera of Roger Deakins but not the drive nor importance of the beginning.
3	juntakinte99	88 _78th
This tense action-thriller is yet another post-9/11 film about heroes creating a weapon to fight distant villains, only to have it turn on them. However, outside of some insight on U.S. crime agency infighting, Sicario doesn't have any profound observations on the drug war. It does, however, do a great job in articulating (in a practical way) the anxieties & fears audiences may have on the drug war. That mood is pitch perfect in the performances (especially Blunt), photography, and music.
3	backwardsuit	77 _72nd
Beautifully constructed thriller about a moral vacuum inside the war on drugs. It's a brutally familiar story for the 21st century but Villeneuve makes it fresh with elegant style. It has a slight issue of weird out of place "movie dialogue" that keeps popping up at awkward moments breaking the perfection achieved through cinematography & music which are both just brilliant. Also when it switches focus from Blunt's character to Del Toro it goes from subtlety to overstatement. Still a great film.
3	guitarmeeuw	79 _85th
Great movie. Really enjoyed the cinematography in this one. Furthermore, all roles are played really well by their actors. The motivations of the characters are sometimes a bit unbelievable, but this did not bother me too much. Moreover, the script was not really dumb; it was quite good. A really tense movie experience which sucked me right into it.
3	jacobclark12	85 _80th
Sicario is definitely not a film based on action. It is an incredibly cerebral experience due to its more deliberate pace that makes the supposed black and white War on Drugs a grey area in quite an effective way. Roger Deakins's cinematography makes this film incredibly effective in combination with its on-location shooting. Emily Blunt and Benicio del Toro turn in some of the best performances of their respective careers to make this one of the more unflinchingly tough films of this year.
3	InvaderJimz	66 _50th
A vastly overqualified cast (from director to DP to lead actors to composer) attempt to elevate a paint-by-the-numbers revenge crime drama script to a moderate success. Sicario is proof that great direction, atmosphere, performances and the like can only get you so far when the screenplay is nothing special. Additionally, the script doesn't play to any actors' strengths with the exception of Benicio del Toro. Overall, I feel underwhelmed with how much talent was involved.
2	yoohoo	95 _97th
The acting was phenomenal, the cinematography gorgeous, the action tense, the directing suspenseful, and the score haunting. Brolin is a scene stealing comic relief CIA spook, and nobody knows what the hell Del Toro is, but he is not someone you want to trifle with. Blunt is superb as the moral compass of the film. It's hard to root for the good guys when you don't know who they are.
2	Kavu	84 _83rd
Villeneuve fails to disappoint. Del Toro, Blunt and Brolin are all awesome. Great score, beautiful cinematography.
2	Pickpocket	7 _68th
A nice bounce back from Enemy but not as good as Prisoners. So jelly of Brolin's facial genetics. He literally has tits and no fat goes to his head. Unbelievable. Del Toro squints his way to another awesome performance and Emily Blunt does an American accent better than anyone in the history of film. It was so refreshing to see women portrayed as women and men portrayed as men for once. Some really intense scenes and it accurately highlights how terrible Mexico is.
2	legstump	80 _87th
Stunningly photographed. Brilliantly staged action. Iconic performances. A score that growls at your subconscious. A perfectly elicited atmosphere of ambiguity and confusion. Movie of the year in any year that Mad Max Fury Road doesn't come out in.
2	theshmo	98 _99th
Interesting plot, good acting, exceptional cinematography and excellent score. The intensity of this movie is also well done. One of my favorite films of the year so far.
2	cowfrappe	83 _93rd
An incredibly well-shot, edge-of-your-seat suspense thriller that didn't waste any time explaining what exactly was going on.
2	Nathan S	5 _93rd
A shaken sense of middle-American justice in the true face of a drug war wrought with heavy collateral damage. Cynical and unflinching disposition, intense and straight-faced in its violent depictions, a solemn but not righteously divulged grey-morality piece. A fact-of-the-matter ugliness settles in as Blunt, the moral protagonist, becomes marginal and ineffectual, replaced as the narrative centerpiece by Del Toro in a monolithic performance as the title representation of unbound jurisdiction.
2	caffe	83 _85th
Fantastically suspenseful and still manages to not revel in the violence but rather look away at times that denies us the satisfaction (which is kinda the point). Really tight script, and excellent acting. Possibly and hopefully a second Oscar for Benicio. Reminiscent at times of the tone in Zero Dark Thirty, but without the overt propaganda.
2	msprague	75 _73rd
It looks good, the action is good, the acting is good, and it had a unsettled feel all the way through. All around not bad but it felt like it was plodding along through a lot of it. I was expecting more after the opening scene. Still recommended though.
2	muutanet	79 _82nd
The score was the best. It fleshed the mood brilliantly. Nice acting from all the group. In the story there was some sluggish moments because the plot was not exactly for my taste.
2	ChrisPalm	86 _97th
This is no goodnight fairy-tale for your children. Also there is no hidden US propaganda nor passive feminist message you'd suspect from the trailer. It is just beautifully brutal. (Heavy surround-system required)
2	sophie	70 _56th
Depressing but definitely worth watching.
2	walkearth	85 _98th
Visually stunning. The cinematography and the soundtrack are a real treat. Stellar performances. Some faults in writing which can be easily disregarded as the film blows your mind with the way it's shot.
2	Judge Holden	7 _88th
So nerve-wracking and violent that you will be holding your breath and tensing your muscles for the entirety of the movie. The acting and directing -- and especially the cinematography -- are all stellar. A chilling film.
2	wetwillies	80 _37th
Muscular, invigorating filmmaking that blesses us with a couple of the best, most finely constructed and tense sequences of the year. Unfortunately, as a whole, it's muddled and wishy-washy; and maybe that's the point, because there's nothing clear about the drug war itself, but it feels like all of this posturing is supposed to build off to a payoff that never actually comes.
2	mrandersen10	80 _77th
Surprisingly brilliant. I don't think one can make a better film about Mexican drug cartels.
2	AAAutin	72 _85th
Low TRAFFIC.
2	babaracus	9 _88th
fucking Benicio del Toro gets cooler and cooler the older he gets
2	hellboy76	74 _90th
Excellent pacing and tension help amp up a somewhat thin story line. The barest of motivations and character development is enough to inspire a little investment, and I was rewarded with a sometimes visually stunning urban violence. Del Toro shines and Brolin and Blunt give good performances.
2	Jerky	70 _89th
A very compelling and well made film, much like Villeneuve's Prisoners, there's always an unnerving sense of doom throughout. Benicio Del Toro commands the room in every scene without having to get angry or scream. The tension created at the dinner table scene is something that all Suspense/Thrillers should strive for.
2	mattornot	15 _60th
Sometimes falls into the trap of using typical Hollywood blueprints in terms of dialogue and key plot points yet this does not infer complexity can't be found . This is one hell of an enjoyable film to watch with amazing atmosphere throughout
2	quez2go	40 _10th
I love Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro. Josh Brolin is a good actor too. Despite their good work this movie doesn't let us care about any of the characters. It seems determined not to let us in. On top of that the violence Is so dry it neither entertains nor shocks and disturbs. It's shot well and has some interesting points to make, but it is a boring ride.
2	goremeat	80 _76th
Stunning set-piece scenes (traffic, tunnel) stapled together by a solemnly cynical screenplay that made each revelation grimmer yet more apparently practical. The protagonist is dragged along by a supporting cast of stronger characters more hardened by the chaos. Grippingly original in how the protagonist is essentially a perfunctory spectator. Great score/audio.
2	hamstercan	76 _78th
i wasnt expecting such an amateur twist from this director. Cinematography and acting was good and Movie was enjoyable.
2	PUNQ	80 _99th
If there is one theme I'm not a big fan of, it's the modern drug war. It's a war without heart and no heroes. But in a brilliant way they make that theme work for Sicario (2015). No bullshitting around! None whatsoever!
2	VengefulKBM	95 _97th
This damning portrait of the American "War on Drugs" is an early frontrunner for my favorite movie of 2015. I absolutely loved this. It's breathlessly engaging and incredibly intense throughout, with amazing performances from leads Emily Blunt and (particularly) Benicio del Toro, who should both be nominated come Oscar season if there is any justice. Add on to that some pretty amazing visuals, and I won't be forgetting this one anytime soon.
2	P u l p	70 _72nd
Chaos is order yet undeciphered
2	LookJabba...	8 _76th
Sicario was one of my most anticipated films of 2015 and I watched it in complete awe. Denis Villeneuve continues his stellar run and the overall direction, camerawork, the score and the sound design collaborate masterfully. And Roger Deakins' cinematography is once again nothing short of incredible. Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and of course Benicio Del Toro all impress with commanding performances. The plot & writing is servicible. But this is such an unbearably tense and atmospheric experience.
2	patman	82 _95th
Villeneuve keeps on raising my expectations and masterfully delivers again with this raw, suspenseful look at the dirty war on drugs. It gives little away to begin with, slowly revealing the brutal power they're up against. We follow a young FBI-agent into a masculine-driven battle, where every move they make is in the grey-zone and the movie asks a lot of questions. Beautifully shot with a mighty soundtrack. Blunt is great and Del Toro certainly gets to shine in some pleasurable final scenes.
2	Corbad	55 _22nd
Emily Blunt is certainly not awful, but distant cinematography and colourless performance-direction fails to engage us with anything but visuals, letting down a unique, exposition-less perspective that could have ridden on the shoulders of an intimate lead. (DNF)
1	schnofel	45 _31st
Starts as a very slow-building exposé of the Mexican drug war and ends as a revenge thriller that undercuts any seriousness that came before. Never mind that Villeneuve's tact and tranquility stop being interesting at some point - what I'm really tired of is the received fatalism.
1	DMCrimson	86 _94th
...If only they cut the Mexican cop segments.
1	djross	50 _43rd
Undeniably filmed with skill in that grim style so often mistaken for realism, but the script is rather insubstantial, and, in the end, too willing to resort to Hollywood cliché. The score works well but is quite reminiscent of UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING (2012) (and behind it, IRREVERSIBLE, 2002), as are the structural similarities to APOCALYPSE NOW (1979), and even the tunnel scenes, but without the thematic complexity and aesthetic liveliness of Hyams’s under-appreciated effort.
1	TheDiceman	75 _89th
The border roadblock scene is just awesome.
1	timmo	90 _66th
Less abstract than Villeneuve's other stuff, but probably more compelling. Serves as a solid multiple-perspectives feature, with relatable, worthwhile conflicts that make sense.
1	Difontaine	85 _88th
Tense as hell. Manages the difficult job of making violence terrifying and un-glamorous but still keep you invested.
1	Cowman	85 _96th
Villeneuve uses the same tricks we have already seen in 'Enemy': ominius soundscapes mixed with epic landscapes to create a high amount of ucomfortable tension. The plot is confusing and the message is bleak, the action quick and effective, for me the combination was awesome.
1	Farzan	38 _26th
What a bore. Villeneuve constantly tosses us "tense" moments in an attempt to grip us, and trick the viewer into believing there is more to this shallow story. Unless I'm a psychopath, there's nothing tense about a situation where these characters' lives are being endangered. Not when these characters are dull and often times untrustorthy dickheads. Aside from good photography and the brilliantly shot & disappointingly brief tunnel scene, there's nothing here. Sicario is simply put; pretentious.
1	Koalafish	65 _48th
This movie made me feel stupid for not getting whats going on. The way information is withheld from both Emily Blunts character and the audience didn't work for me. Sicario is very well made, but most of the time I found myself losing interest.
1	Duder	60 _40th
* Villeneuve keeps on rolling. The cinematography, direction and acting are beyond amazing. Atmosphere and feeling in the movie is too intense, but I think this time, the script couldn't hold up. Not his best but definitely not a bad movie.
1	Snazz	90 _96th
Wow. I can't remember when I last saw a suspense film this nerve-racking. The cinematography and orchestral score are both splendid and work together perfectly.
1	cgcore	63 _58th
villeneuve goes bigelow. hard to tell if it is good or average. intense atmosphere though. can't tell how i missed del toro..
1	Ross	75 _78th
Great, suspenseful, but I thought there would be more.
1	andayb	70 _80th
sicario is brilliantly tense, the cinematography and the music meld together beautifully. the story is passable, since we've seen quite a bit of the cartel stories lately. the real star is del toro, whose low key performance is straight up killer. a well executed film if not the most original.
1	yoshifan	9 _85th
One of the most gorgeous movies I've ever seen.
1	Vandelay1	75 _86th
very good movie
1	oskarhu	82 _83rd
Well-built story and good soundtrack.
1	jordanlige	100 _51st
really good
1	Stewball	70 _54th
Intense downer but relevant, and set to a seriously demonic soundtrack, but with a couple of wtf flaws. In the opening sequence, since they had the cooperation of the Federalies for the prisoner pickup, why not just chopper him out, or at least clear a lane at the border? What self-respecting FBI agent is going to let herself get sucked into an operation like that completely in the blind. They came up with a reason for doing it, but not for her accepting it. And towards the end, the silencer on [Full Review]
1	nauru	61 _60th
Run-of-the-mill script with forgettable cast. But Benicio del Toro elevates every scene he's in, and single handedly makes the entire project feel worthwhile. The dinner table scene is fantastic.
1	DarkCloud	90 _83rd
Thrillers should be benchmarked against this spectacular film. Everything is top-notch, starting from Benicio Del Toro to the stunning visuals of border sky, from exuberant machoism of Josh Brolin to the background sound and music, from a conflicted naive Emily Blunt to the chilling sequences of shoot out in dark. Villenuve is a gifted director. Absolutely wonderful piece of gripping thriller with a solid plot.
1	SirStuckey	75 _67th
I liked the movie and recognized it as a very great movie, but it didn't quite click with me. It's hard for me to completely explain why. I enjoyed the performances, and thought the story was compelling. Hell I loved the scene involving the tunnel. I need to think on it more.
1	Okkervil	80 _83rd
After being subjected to a full range of inane children's films on behalf of fatherdom recently this thoroughly grown up and tense thriller came as welcome relief! To be critical I'm not sure how well 'Sicario' divided up its time between the two central protagonists, but that aside there's little to gripe about. All the leads are very fine, the sound and score are fantastic and visually it's highly admirable . Foreboding and fraught stuff.
1	leekenn	85 _81st
Gripping, harrowing and utterly enjoyable from the first frame. The entire cast deliver wonderful performances, the cinematography is top notch, the score saws into your bones and there's plenty to think about afterward. Make no mistake, this is a dark film, and unflinchingly so at that, but utterly worth watching if that doesn't bother you.
1	aaasolanki	77 _49th
It was funny that I watched this while I was catching up on Breaking Bad. As a result, I was into the movie right from the word go. It's a movie that sticks to a script and doesn't deviate with unnecessary shenanigans. Emily Blunt has done a fine job here and so has Del Toro.
1	jmarkthespot	85 _88th
Exactly what I want in a thriller. Well thought out story lines, characters who don't succumb to ridiculous revelations, and quick bursts of violence that feel true to the morality of the storyworld. Plus, Villeneuve is an artist. Every shot--especially the open plains of Mexico--is meticulously crafted to enhance the mood and tension of a given scene. Admittedly, the film starts out kind of shaky, but once Del Toro arrives everything becomes straight up screen candy. And ooooo it is sweet.
1	mwgerb	67 _81st
Unbearably tense, with danger seemingly lurking behind every corner. Villeneuve and Deakins knock the visuals out of the park again, and the entire cast shows up with great performances. The story itself is serviceable, but it could have used more scope and grounding than the tragic subplot of the Mexican police officer.
1	CarsonWid	84 _93rd
Unbelievable cinematography and score put this over the top, but also a very good and unique script as well.
1	dwyer	50 _9th
Despite its technical excellence and fine acting, Sicario tells an intriguing but unsatisfying story. It defines Emily Blunt's character as the protagonist, gives us something to admire about her, and never really gives her any agency. This film isn't really telling her story; she's being brought along in service to a larger plot that has no protagonist. It works on the micro level, but on the macro level, when it's all over, we're left feeling kind of empty.
1	shalev	83 _69th
Tense and clever, though somewhat over-the-top.
1	VinegarBob	90 _96th
Denis Villeneuve continues to make films of the highest calibre. From the opening scene to the end credits this is a masterclass in suspenseful, stylish film making. The cinematography is striking, the editing precise but unobtrusive, and the music is highly effective at increasing the sense of impending doom. Performances across the board are excellent. Thrillers don't get much better than this. Film of the year.
1	Kingjohnbbq	93 _76th
Great suspense in this film. It grabs you early on and doesn't let go. You feel the gravity of the situation in almost every scene. The turmoil at the border and the graphic violence for which the cartel are legendary for are well represented. I thought I might like this movie from the trailer and I wound up loving it and still thinking about it days later
1	bentien	78 _88th
Intense atmosphere and beautiful cinematography are the highlights of this thriller. Villeneuve's best movie so far.
1	d_r_e_s_	3 _65th
So many really great elements, and yet somehow it doesn't quite come together in the end. I've started to expect more from Villeneuve, so this was somewhat a bit of a letdown. Still good, and Del Toro was awesome. *Good
1	metz	50 _58th
Kinda felt I needed part 2.
1	redacted	80 _70th
For mine, this hits a similar tone to the undervalued, The Counselor by McCarthy & Scott. That was the film Scott made immediately following the death of his brother and it was a morally empty look into the workings of the Cartel with more leaning on the script than Sicario does, and for Sicario, that is to good effect. The lack of script keeps us engaged & like Brolin says, just soak it up like a sponge. I mean, things got a bit too poetic for Toro's character, but I bought how he got there.
1	doughbaron	81 _83rd
Based on the title alone, I should have known the film would narrow down on one character, but I was still disappointed when it did. Still amazing in most other ways.
1	PerryStroika	66 _74th
Shallow edgelord script worships cheap cynicism and glorifies extralegal violence. The film is saved from mediocrity only by great direction, performances and nerve wracking sound design.
1	Noblet	84 _81st
Weak script turned into gold with first-rate direction, cinematography, acting, sound design and music.
1	Darren	81 _78th
Hell ya
1	Superargo	69 _60th
Cool. Often transporting--those prolonged early sequences in Juarez are tense, well-shot, and terrifying as hell. That third act shift is problematic, though. What was playing like a docudrama with a tough, no-nonsense, pragmatic female lead takes a lurching spin about 90 minutes in and becomes a mean, cold-blooded revenge flick. And that female lead we've been spending time with? Turns out she's a major wimp who can't handle real-world horrors. So, yeah. Cool, but problematic.
1	medikolayn	78 _71st
oh shit
1	xophoros	3 _33rd
Cinematography is great and the acting is pretty solid (Benicio del Toro is always great), but the screenplay is just plain silly sometimes. Why on earth does Kate keep on the assignment? "I have to know." Seriously? And Alejandro's story: he's an idealistic young prosecutor whose family is killed and becomes a badass international hitman in order to take revenge? What is this, The Count of Monte Cristo? Whatever.
1	damil	70 _67th
This is a good, well-made film, and yet, I found it disappointing. There were several brilliant, tense, exciting action scenes throughout the film, but I found myself fairly bored during the scenes in between. It was well-directed, it looked great, the performances, and Emily Blunt in particular, were good, but I still couldn't love it. It's absolutely worth a try, though.
1	CMonster	84 _77th
"How many Sicarios we got here?" "3. Sicario Sicario and Luigi Sicario."
1	xacviant	74 _35th
An FBI agent specializing in cartel-related kidnappings (Emily Blunt) gets caught up in shadowy government operations against the cartels, led by a calmly amoral agent (Josh Brolin) and his mysterious right-hand man (Benicio Del Toro). A letdown after Villeneuve's last two great films, it's consistently well-made (what with Roger Deakins behind the camera) and has some strong performances, but as a whole is underwritten and never quite brings anything new to the cartel-drama genre.
1	TheDailyNathan	70 _30th
Generic action movie with a hint of mystery, but it never really builds up to any memorable intrigue.
1	MCProust	83 _62nd
It's a real credit to Villeneuve that the objectively cartoonish plot feels so tense and engaging as long as you're under the film's spell. The highway scene is a particular standout, as patient in its increasing tension as a Leone duel.
1	chmul_cr0n	76 _82nd
Very atmospheric. Very slow. Very long. Very arthousy. Very much style over very much less substance. Very, very good. Very great performance by del Toro. Very cool score. Very likely Emily Blunt's best performance to date.
1	Läuft.	90 _94th
Villeneuve is dope
1	bakcheia	55 _42nd
I'm torn, because it's an enrapturing movie with gorgeous cinematography, a tense score, & a gripping plot. However, I was incredibly disappointed with the questionably misogynist function that Blunt's character plays. While initially given agency & shown as capable, she spends the entire movie being undercut, talked at, or abused by men. I was under the impression that her character was empowering (like in Edge of Tomorrow), but she's written into a corner. http://bit.ly/1Mudnlr puts it better.
1	comepelicula	65 _61st
Nice action film that kept the suspense for the whole movie and was very fun. Also it reminded me that Benicio can be a very scary man.
1	mattorama12	81 _90th
Incredibly tense, impeccably shot and directed. It subverts your expectations in both subtle and big ways, all to great effect. And god it's a downer.
1	lovleigh	50 _13th
I just didn't see what everyone else did. I wanted to like this movie and while I felt the actors did a good job, plus the score and cinematography were amazing I didn't feel the story or dialog worked. Ultimately I didn't feel much about anybody's actions and I didn't care what happened in the end. I was waiting for that special something and it never came.
1	Barraoc	80 _85th
Nefarious doings and lots of situational ethics. Brolin, Del Toro, and Blunt, all on top of their game. Liked the ending; hard though.
1	The Pirate	80 _60th
That scene in Juarez and onto the bridge is one of the most tense, genuine action scenes I've ever seen! The rest of the movie is also quite good, but never lives up to that mastery of the visual medium.
1	thehutt	81 _86th
Top cast, visuals, sound and cinematography. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. Unfortunately the story could have been better.
1	o_rety	75 _56th
Realistic and gritty. Maybe a tad too long, but overall not bad.
1	fra paolo	46 _47th
Good performances, great soundtrack and superb photography, but I found the script with its unconventional positioning of the protagonist too irritating. The role as written for Blunt remains unconvincing.
1	JaiGuy	75 _39th
I was expecting a little something extra from the plot, but otherwise it was just engrossing and original enough to enjoy it as it unravelled.
1	deep_green	60 _39th
A beautifully crafted film. Well paced, meticulously edited and visually attractive. As noted by others, the score is wonderful: immersive, gutsy and gripping. I was sucked along by it, but can't help but feel that these surface level values are all there is going on.
1	qmiller32	100 _98th
Scary, intense, and at times gruesome, this film is a hard look at the realities of the drug war. Del Toro is frightening and unpredictable. Ultimately, this is everything I look for in a thriller.
1	michaels	80 _79th
Familiar story (you've seen something like this before), great direction, fantastic performances (Del Toro's the true stand out, that man's got such a strong presence), and pretty haunting score that really adds dread and tension to the film.
1	whotemp	78 _49th
I thought the scenes we were shown make the ethical dilemma a bit too cut and dry. Maybe I'm too cynical or jaded, but pretty much everything folded out the way I thought it would. I did expect some American casualties, making their actions costlier and less ethical.
1	Groovy_Souls	80 _73rd
Some awesome action sequences and cerebral tension help to elevate Sicario to the level of a great movie, but its plot can often be held back by its slow burn narrative which may have benefitted from being a bit more focused. That being said, its a great show of Villeneuve's work.
1	okayfrog	65 _60th
Everyone in this film works their asses off to elevate a rather ho-hum script -- and it shows. Del Toro, Brolin, and Blunt are all fantastic in their roles, and the directing, score, and cinematography contribute incredibly well to the feeling of what these characters are going through. That being said, it just isn't too interesting of a film. Blunt's character is dragged from one crummy moment to the next and it really doesn't lead anywhere significant.
1	amazedemon	74 _90th
Sicario is a surprisingly enjoyable film given the subject matter. The film pairs the cinematography of stark landscapes with the tension-building drums and strings in the soundtrack. Not only is the tone perfect, but the entire cast deliver fantastic (and at times muted) performances. Sicario's narrative is also refreshing, portraying a world submerged in grey-areas. While it presents its interpretation, the film isn't pushy and allows the viewer to ultimately decide what is right and wrong.
1	andreaslutro	75 _64th
While the movie keeps your interest very well as there's a lot of tension in the scenes, not a lot feels at stake and there aren't a lot of decisions that have to be made or dilemmas that have to be resolved. The main character is just along for the ride - but it's a very well shot and beautiful ride. The movie feels very realistic, but does so at the expense of an emotional narrative.
1	VorpalKitten	90 _87th
Really interesting movie, one of the best I've seen in this "plausibly realistic fictionalized version of actual espi-arfare" genre, whatever they call that.
1	Armilio	72 _72nd
The talent of Villeneuve and his crew has the power to dignify a trite script, that i can imagine easily - with some variations, ofc - in a Van Damme or Segal movie. Topoi like the "revenging dark/damned angel", "works beyond the laws", "end justifies the means", aren't new at all. But a great cinematography, the camera-movements, the suspense building, and the reveval of a beloved Villeneuve's theme - the chaos, the fortune, that rule our life and our society - make this a worth-watching film.
1	le mami	60 _52nd
maybe rewatch ?
1	sw1341	80 _47th
good but gruesome
1	benoliver999	80 _75th
Sicario might be called a one-trick pony but it's a trick I want to see again and again. A great thriller that paints a vivid picture of law enforcement.
1	smuhu	77 _81st
Compellingly emphasizing the meaninglessness of the never-ending war on drugs. -- Thrilling and momentous.
1	joel-w-m	6 _44th
The incredible technical aspects (consistently unique and beautiful camerawork with some stunning bird's eye views, a marvelous use of sound, and two particularly gut-wrenching themes-one dark, one mournful-all impeccably edited-see the captivating convoy journey into Mexico) and solid, subtle acting only make the poorly written script (details are left out and questions arise at every plot turn) all the more frustrating. It's hard to get engaged when the stakes are constantly unclear.
1	Boxcars	8 _71st
The twists and turns of the story are engaging (if not wholly unfamiliar), but where 'Sicario' truly thrives is in the deft direction of Villeneuve, the hyper-effective sound, the inspired performances, and the great camerawork -- all of which combines into a seizing two hours.
1	mmartino	84 _82nd
Absolutely stunning visuals (Roger Deakins is the man) and sound design, carried by great performances across the board. Such a masterclass in creating simmering tension and anxiety that you're almost relieved when the violence finally breaks out. The gravity and complexity of the War on Drugs in Mexico is both Sicario's greatest asset and its biggest weakness.
1	BlakeEngel	8 _42nd
When I realized that this movie is what writer Sheridan intended - an inept, passive main character - that helped me enjoy the movie more. Cinematography and coverage philosophy from Villeneuve is outstanding, the Del Toro and Brolin characters are incredibly fascinating. The big hangup is Blunt's character and unfortunately its a huge hangup because she's the main character. Still, an interesting and occasionally insightful movie worth rewatching.
1	Zangin	80 _86th
An excellent thriller with stellar acting. Still, a bit of subtlety wouid have been appreciated thematically. This film has a very obvious agenda.
1	alwayshere88	79 _80th
Note to myself: wasn't as good as I thought the second time.
1	Chiptbhtv	88 _81st
The first dive into the brilliant rhetoric of Taylor Sheridan, Sicario is one film that keeps you on the edge of your seat, but always shows you just enough!
1	themacsays	90 _88th
R - Stunning visually. Pretty bleak outlook overall, and there are no answers here, but the story moves along. Emily Blunt does a great job playing the character who is trying to figure out what everyone is actually up to.
1	Mo-	93 _95th
In this movie everybody is a hitman and few are righteous. The atmosphere created by the score and cinematography is incredible, the tension is almost tangible.
1	vv238	83 _89th
An exceedingly well-made film bolstered by a slew of great performances. It's intentionally dark and complex morals weave a pretty harrowing yet relevant tale in today's world.

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Average Percentile 62.7% from 4826 Ratings