Patrick Dunham reviews the action thriller flick, Sicario.

Words by Patrick Dunham, Illustration by Krista Young
Growing up in Texas, I had always heard about Juárez. Nestled on the border of Mexico, the city was rumored to have daily murders due to the cartel. It was terrifying that despite the fact that everyone was aware of the atrocities happening there, nothing could be done. That is the lasting message of Sicario: you can switch out jefes and eliminate whole cartels, but there will always be a successor to take the reigns.
The film utilizes a star-studded cast comprised of Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt, and Jon Bernthal, among many other familiar faces.  Director Denis Villeneuve imbues an intense vision into his latest feature, advancing from the urban and psychological scope of his last film, Enemy, into blockbuster sensibilities while retaining brilliant depth in every aspect of the film. There are explosions and many gunfights, and even an epic convoy sequence which is, in essence, the first mission of the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, set in the cutthroat streets of Juárez.
Later in the film, cinematographer Roger Deakins brilliantly uses night vision and the negative imagery goggles of the soldiers heading into the cartel tunnel to launch us into combat and instill a further tension into the ambiguous mission. Interestingly enough, in all of the firefights, the Mexican militia never actually appears to be fighting back; it is always the elite American soldiers shown unleashing barrages of gunfire before they get a chance to react. In not showing the Mexican side of the warfare but instead just the drug aspect, Villeneuve conveys that it is not a matter of force or might that is adhering the cartel problem: it is widespread corruption and facilitation by the Mexican government which enables the network to thrive wherever it spreads.
The least developed character arc of Juárez cop, Silvio (Maximiliano Hernandez), was the most impactful for its understatement. Silvio never said much, but his alcoholism and distance from his wife was communicated effectively without words. He knowingly went against his morals, occupational loyalty, and above all, his community’s welfare to assist the cartel. For this he suffers. His background or motives for this are never explained, but by the end of the film (in which his child’s soccer match is interrupted by gunfire only to be resumed again with the blow of a whistle), it is clear that people just have to adapt to their environments in whatever ways they can. He was simply a product of his environment and nothing more.
Villeneuve brings to question whether lying for the greater good is really worth it, especially when considered on an institutional basis. There is a bleak reality in Sicario: an optimal scenario on the cartel wars (as established in the film) would be to have an American-controlled cartel in power, as it is impossible to eliminate the market of illegal drugs — people will find a way to obtain them no matter the impact. Commando leader Matt Graver (Brolin) deceives Kate throughout the film to retain this truth in their mission objective, executed by the utterly brutal yet tender mercenary, Alejandro (Del Toro). The corruption of all these key characters, besides Kate, serves to establish that the United States government is indeed as corrupt as the cartels are. Perhaps in a more morally acceptable way than the cartel, but corrupted nonetheless.