Sicario
Great story, bad execution.
Being a major film fan, I’ve seen a lot of movies. Does that make me an expert in film? Not in the slightest. But it does mean I know what I like and what I don’t. And, usually, that opinion is determined within the first half hour of a film. It’s rare that it goes past that point.
With this production, however, I find myself pondering the outcome probably more than I should. Do I like it? Honestly, I don’t know. I can say that it left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Perhaps breaking it down will help determine how it stands.
The story follows a young but skilled FBI agent who is assigned to a special task force, assisting in the escalating drug cartel war. Along the way, she’s exposed first hand to the harsh and brutal realities of the drug cartel’s influence in Mexico and the southern United States (something which this film depicts surprisingly accurately).
Getting some of the technicals out of the way, the casting isn’t bad. I’m not a big fan of Emily Blunt in general but she was decent enough I suppose. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell whether it’s bad acting or bad writing/directing so I tend to give the actors more leeway there. Despite not having a whole lot to say, Benicio Del Toro does well here, really stepping into his character. All of that aside, Josh Brolin steals the show, as he usually does, proving his genuine talent once again (seriously, I don’t think I’ll ever tire of this guy).
The lack of a compelling score takes a bit of the wind out, relying heavily on throbbing percussive beats instead. Nearly gave me a headache with the sound level where I like it. I’ve said it before, but I really miss the films of the nineties and early aughts for this reason. A great score adds a depth to the film you really can’t get with anything else.
As someone who has worked closely around law enforcement for some time, the tactical and weaponry mistakes do distract a bit (especially in the opening scene) but it’s not so bad that it’s completely out of reason, just sloppy. The night and thermal vision shots were somewhat impressive on a technical level considering it wasn’t added in post.
Now, for the story, am I disappointed with it? The premise was fine, full of intrigue, which I love, but I think it could have been executed a bit better. This might just be me (probably why I don’t much care for mindless action films), but I like a good story with character development. Whether they didn’t take enough time to develop their characters or they intentionally left them somewhat vague, either way, I didn’t really get a good in depth look at any of them. It left me a bit disappointed. I didn’t find anything or anyone worth rooting for which makes it hard to invest in the entire scenario in the first place. It was obvious, at least to me, there was more here that was left out.
So, I suppose now is the time where I decide whether I’m satisfied with the outcome. I think, overall, if they had spent a bit more time developing the story and characters, it could’ve been a much better film. Like I said before, the bare bones are quite brilliant but it falls apart in execution.
Final thoughts: If you’re looking for a film that connects you to the characters, you won’t find it here. It’s a decent film with a fair amount of forethought and twists and turns, but it doesn’t spend enough time making those shine.
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