One Stop Record Shop took a trip to preview Sicario – courtesy of Time Out London – to dissect its visual (and of course musical) attributes. Here’s what we make of Denis Villeneuve’s latest directorial release, starring Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro.
The Official Sicario Poster
Sicario is a suspense-filled rarity that holds its own in the ever popular field of narco-thrillers. Depicting the dominant force of Mexican drug cartels across the U.S.-Mexico border, it’s a film that manages to capture the volatility and bloodied aggression of an ever developing battle.
The film’s title says it all (Sicario translating as ‘hitman’ in Spanish), and as opening scenes go, Villeneuve has managed to execute an action sequence set to rival the best of this years cinema offerings. From the off there’s an uneasy sense of tranquility, as dust dances across the lens in the heat soaked Arizona desert – an image that’s revisited on a number of occasions throughout the film.
The audience are taken under the wing of an FBI ‘Kidnap Response’ team, headed up by Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) and her partner Reggie (Daniel Kaluuya). Crammed into the suffocating atmosphere of an armoured vehicle, you can almost taste the heat as sweat trickles down the foreheads of the armed agents heading towards a generic residential bungalow.
Emily Blunt can be seen drenched in blood shortly after Sicario’s opening scene
The uneasiness is palpable, and in addition to the ever-building atmospheric tension (masterminded by Jóhann Jóhannsson and his goosebump inducing compositions – more of that later), the elements combine perfectly to exacerbate the audience’s heavy sense off uncertainty.
Then without warning the vehicle storms through the bungalow wall with a crash, dust and debris fill the air, only for the agents to be confronted by – we’ll stop there, we don’t like spoilers now do we.
It’s an adrenaline filled sequence that sets the pace for the rest of the film. For every lull in action, the storyline twists to induce a renewed sense of urgency and mission. The tension is unrelenting, and as an audience member, the opportunity to catch your breath simply doesn’t present itself.
Joining forces with a special military taskforce, Kate meets Alejandro (Del Toro) a Colombian free agent who aids the Americans in the name of reprisal. Their first mission – a cross boarder cartel kidnap – could be construed as the weak narrative link in the film, however what it lacks as a plot line addition, it more than makes up for in terms of cementing task force relationships and raising the already unbearable levels of tension.
Sicario’s opening landscape
What makes Sicario special is the way in which an already unequivocally strong piece of cinematography doesn’t rest on its laurels. Jóhann Jóhannsson brilliantly illustrates the power of a well constructed soundscape, combining bone chilling arrangements and drone heavy scores that have the ability to unnerve viewers of even the calmest disposition.
It’s undoubtably a soundtrack worthy of an Oscar nod, with Jóhannsson’s signature electronic neo-classical sounds guiding viewers through a nerve wracking 121 minutes – almost to the point of despair. The Icelandic composer appears to be a favourite of Villeneuve’s having joined forces on 2013’s Prisoners, additionally gaining notoriety for his BAFTA, Golden Globe and Academy Award nominated soundtrack on The Theory Of Everything.
Blunt’s performance is wholeheartedly convincing in a role that could have easily been over-acted (Blunt worked closely with the women of the FBI in preparation), delivering an intensity that’s sure to prove fruitful come awards season. Equally Del Toro shines as the sinister defector, never allowing the audience to identify his true motives. Let’s also credit a powerfully dismissive performance by a flip-flop clad Josh Brolin, who stars alongside Kaluuya, an individual who takes up a somewhat limited yet endearing supporting role.
All in all Villeneuve and Jóhannsson have created something special in Sicario, with few motion pictures managing to capture the Mexican cartels and surrounding drug-fuelled conflicts in quite the same light. A truly immersive experience that manages to tread the fine line between suspense filled drama and genuine plausibility, Sicario has set itself up to be an Academy contender.
