Respond to these rapid questions in our Sicario quiz and we will tell you which Sicario character you are. Play it now.
The beginning of “Sicario” features two indications of a violent world: the first is a discovery, and the second is an explosion. Both of these events set the stage for the exciting thriller that is to come. This is a reality in which evidence of evil can be found in plain sight, concealed within the walls of a house located in the suburbs of the United States. And it is a world in which violence can erupt in an instant, taking lives and shattering others in an instant. Benicio Del Toro turns in a stellar performance, and Roger Deakins delivers the kind of mesmerizing cinematography that has become his trademark for “Sicario,” which at times is a deeply satisfying and intense examination of a war in which there are no rules of engagement. “Sicario” can be exasperatingly self-indulgent at other times, particularly in the middle act, which is filled with overhead helicopter shots of the Mexican border and a thumping, pretentious score. It is a film that does not have the same sense of immediacy as the truly great thrillers, but it does exist in that rarefied air of refined production values on every level and a perfect ensemble cast. Despite the fact that it is not truly great, there is still a lot to enjoy about this. Despite this, it could be considered a disappointment.
In the very first scene, FBI Agent Kate Macy, played by Emily Blunt, is seen searching through a house in Arizona for a kidnap victim. She literally plows through the wall in her truck, and just as he begins to unload his shotgun in her direction, she manages to take out a target. The hole that the shotgun creates in the wall allows for the exposure of a dead body that is wrapped in plastic. And this cadaver is not the only one in the room. As soon as they get there, they find out that the house is full of dead bodies, and as they investigate further, an explosion occurs. What exactly is going on here? What unspeakable horror has made its way across the border from the lawless town of Juarez, Mexico, into Arizona?
Because of Macy’s lack of timidity and quick wit, her superiors notice her and decide to include her in a meeting for an inter-agency task force. The people who are in charge of this task force are pleased with what they learn from Kate. This task force is led by an enigmatic man named Matt (Josh Brolin), whose profession is unclear (he could be CIA). They take her on board, and then Matt, Kate, and the enigmatic Alejandro (played by Benicio Del Toro) travel to the southern hemisphere in an effort to apprehend a drug trafficker and bring him back to the United States for questioning. Simply watching this scene is reward enough for having watched “Sicario.” The team needs to move quickly because they are about to enter a region of the continent where drug lords have gained such notoriety that they now hang dead bodies in public places as a form of communication. They are forced to wait in traffic at the border as they make their way back from Mexico. It’s possible that the drug dealer’s accomplices are hiding in the cars around them, waiting to pounce. The building of tension is expertly demonstrated in this particular scene. Deakins makes beautiful use of car windows, and Joe Walker, the editor, cuts the action together so that it flows naturally. The fact that the movie is never able to top this sequence again is, in one sense, where the problems begin. We start off with such ferocity that the lack of excitement that follows in the second act begins to feel like a letdown.
But you shouldn’t waste any more time and start this Sicario quiz.
The fact that Taylor Sheridan’s screenplay doesn’t really focus on developing a protagonist is one of the issues at hand. On this journey, Kate spends the majority of her time as an observer, making her an unwilling and uninformed traveler. Matt, played by Brolin, and Alejandro, played by Del Toro, are so obviously in charge of what is taking place that they are considering moves that are several machinations away, whereas Kate is unsure not only of what role she is supposed to play but also of what roles everyone else has. I understand that the purpose of this piece is to leave the reader feeling confused. At its heart, “Sicario” depicts a world in which the ongoing drug war has descended into complete anarchy due to a lack of leadership on both sides of the conflict. As a result, it is logical to assume that the story will center on a protagonist who is equally perplexed by the absence of any ground rules. However, because of this, the movie doesn’t have the same emotional impact as the best thrillers. At least, it doesn’t have that emotional punch until the very end of the movie, when the tables are turned and we realize that we may have been concentrating on the wrong story the whole time.
Sicario Quiz
It is impossible to deny the technical elements that are so far above average in “Sicario,” as well as the skill with which Denis Villeneuve directs actors. Despite the problems I have with the story, it is impossible to deny the technical elements. He coaxes an excellent performance out of Brolin as the sort of guy who takes pleasure in keeping those around him in the dark. He sees intelligence as a means to gain an advantage in any situation. Del Toro serves a very different purpose in this film, which is gradually unveiled, and he is simply magnetic in this role. He is the unsung hero of every performance he is in. Even though it feels like the underdrawn nature of her character is the film’s biggest flaw, Blunt is, as is typical for her, an excellent performer in the role.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Sicario quiz.
It is impossible to find flaws in the screenplay by the time the movie “Sicario” reaches its third and final act, during which Villeneuve and Deakins approach the territory of “Zero Dark Thirty” by having characters carry out operations in the dark while wearing night vision goggles. When matters of life and death are at stake, like they were in that scene on the highway and really throughout the entire final act, “Sicario” elevates itself to the level I hoped it would maintain the entire time. That one scene ends up being the basis for the entirety of the movie, which is a thriller about hidden information and the ever-present possibility of violence. It is about a world that, in terms of the degree of atrocities and the absence of any kind of order, we are unable to even begin to comprehend. And it’s right behind our house!
For more personality quizzes check this: Selma Quiz.
