Sicario

Villeneuve at the top of his game. A brilliantly directed thriller one-time watch that will drive your colon into your brain through its brutally slow pace and Jóhann Jóhannsson's post-apo thunder. The ruthless trepanation of the skulls, which resembles through its ultra-dark vibe the prose of Cormac McCarthy, but otherwise is completely without claim to philosophical overlap. A bloody history from the frontier that documents that the second art Quebec surrealist has matured into one of the best mainstream directors. Casting a woman in the title role of this raw slab of meat is a brilliant move that completes the entire championship piece. When I compare the "mainstream films" this year in terms of price / performance / experience, Sicario wins. [90%] (2015-10-12)

Sicario describes with surgical precision the fatal and bloody profanation of Mexico during the long Cartel War. Perfectly shot, wonderfully cast, darkly atmospheric, disturbing, brutal and a solid plot, this is what Sicario undoubtedly offers. As highlights I would single out the mighty Benicio Del Toro who steals the finale all to himself, the crushing soundtrack that gets under your skin and the perfect atmospheric nighttime thermal vision scene (a whole new thing). To reach perfection, I would only add to the pace, which is rather lukewarm, and I would definitely add more dead bodies – the scene where four people hang naked upside down from the bridge without limbs will please many a horror eye, and this is supposedly a daily occurrence in this town!! Great job. 80%. (2015-11-01)

The reviews here criticizing Emily Blunt's character are stupid and stem from a misunderstanding of the film's concept. By choosing a fragile woman as the centre of the narrative, as a kind of wide-eyed and out of place Alice in Wonderland, Villeneuve makes the viewers themselves grope and question. Emily is a beautiful contrast to the rough world of tough men who shoot from the hip, and the final denouement is an emotional blast, giving the preceding events meaning and significance. In real life, you’ll probably end up like my friend who commented at the beginning "It's a bit confusing", and then at the end apologetically said "Okay, Villeneuve, you played me like a cat with a mouse." The kind of authenticity and rawness that Sicario presents is something that 99% of film production can only dream of. And one thing is certain, charisma has an identical twin, and his name is Benicio del Toro. (2015-12-20)

An intense procedural that pulls out the best possible concentrate from all the ingredients. It draws you into the movie theater with audiovisual fire, and, with the passing of a few days, lets the juicy thought processes ripen, ingeniously hiding behind a terse story about the clash between a young idealist and the worn-out warriors against drugs; you rarely see absolutely great filmmaking like this so laced together. I'd start shoveling over the shiny statuettes right now. (2015-11-04)

Denis Villeneuve gives new meaning to tension and forces me to grind the backrest of my seat or scan the rooftops for unwelcome movement. But it's not just about raw action or unpleasant dialogue, dominated by razor-sharp lines from Benicio Del Toro. All it takes is the most banal situation, driving a car or just looking at the Mexican landscape where none of us would want to be, and I know it: I know that this is a war you don't win, and two hours in it were enough for a lifetime – and yet also enough to want to experience it again, multiple times. (2015-11-06)