Rating of
3/4
"Sicario" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 12/29/16
An FBI field agent is seconded to a special unit tasked with taking the fight to the South American drug cartels and finds their approach more resembles a declaration of war than police work. Narcos meets Zero Dark Thirty in this uncompromising cop thriller that is less shades of grey than shades of black. In fact, the line between right and wrong is so muddied throughout the story that it makes The Shield looks like T. J. Hooker, but Emily Blunt - giving a fine portrayal of a good cop who is in way over her head - provides a strong central character which thankfully grounds the story preventing it from becoming obnoxiously over-violent and amoral. The action sequences are tense rather than spectacular, which suits the grittiness of the story perfectly and a lean, mean Benicio Del Toro is typically intense as the enigmatic "special adviser". There is little here in the way of content that you won't have seen before, but the brutally straight-edged approach and strong female protagonist marks it out from the crowd.
