Sicario

Some time ago, I watched a Youtube compilation of badass moments in movies, or something in that vein. One such moment was from the movie I watched this week:

Sicario (2015).

The title Sicario derives from the Latin word "Sicarius," meaning "dagger man." The term was used by Romans to describe Jewish zealots who killed Roman citizens using a "sica" or small dagger hidden in their cloaks. There were so many murders in the province of Judea around the 1st Century AD that the figure of "Sicarius" was codified in Roman law ("Lex Cornelia de Sicariis et Veneficis -- Cornelian Law for Stabbers and Poisoners") of 81 AD. These words also derive from the verb "secare," which means "to slice." 

(I copied this from IMDB, as I'm too tired to retype it.)

Emily Blunt plays Kate Mercer, an FBI agent who has spent her entire career kicking in doors as a member of the FBI CIRG, their version of SWAT, instead of investigating cases. When she leads a breach and clear of a Mexican Cartel house in the US, she is invited to volunteer for an inter-agency task force. The task force is led by Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) an adviser for the Department of Defense. He in turn is accompanied by Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) who is also a DoD adviser.

Kate and her partner Reggie (Daniel Kaluuya) are eventually informed that the goal of the task force is the cause the cartel so much trouble that their US boss is recalled to Mexico to explain himself. This would lead the task force straight to the top boss. Kate quickly realizes that there is more going on than she has been told. This is as much as I'm able to tell without going into spoiler territory.

Sicario is a well made movie from beginning to end. The actors are great, some scenes are expertly crafted and the music/soundtrack goes from 'Fine' to 'Excellent'. The few complaints I have are few and far between. Example: In the breach and clear in the beginning, Kate guns down a cartel goon toting a shotgun. However, she approaches and checks his vitals without removing the shotgun from his grasp. Clear violation of operating procedures, as she couldn't know for sure that he was dead before approaching. It's not a big deal, but it stood out as a small thing that would have made sense to include.

I feel I should mention the violence. There is quite a bit of killing in this movie, not so much on camera, but there are multiple shots of mutilated corpses throughout, and those with a sensitive disposition should be aware.

So, do I recommend this movie? Yes, I really do. It's not a great masterpiece that is going to go down as a timeless classic, but it is a really good action thriller, and any fan of those genres should like this movie. The scene I mentioned above was enough to make me want to see Sicario, and it was well worth it.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great and safe week!