Sicario

Perhaps the biggest triumph in Sicario is the way in which this taut thriller throws fictional characters into a real-life scenario without sacrificing its edge.

In other words, it’s a gritty and uncompromising examination of the ongoing covert border war with Mexican drug cartels that generates sympathy on a personal level yet conveys a bleak authenticity that doesn’t offer easy solutions to its broader issues.

The story follows Kate (Emily Blunt) a smart and tough FBI agent working on kidnapping cases in Arizona when she’s recruited to a task force whose goal, as she finds out only after asking the right questions, is to bring down a notorious kingpin.

That assignment puts her under the auspices of Matt (Josh Brolin), a government operative who runs his operation with a casual yet calculating bravado. His outlook on the conflict reflects his frustration. “Order is the best we can hope for,” he explains to Kate.

Matt isn’t reluctant to overlook procedure or use shady tactics, either, when trying to extract information from small-time dealers as he pursues bigger targets. He leaves most of the dirty work to Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), an enforcer of mysterious background with an endless supply of weaponry.

As directed by Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners), the film yields a vivid depiction of life along the Mexican border that doesn’t shy away from blood or violence. Specifically, it shows how easily the line blurs between heroes and villains, and how almost everyone involved lacks a clear moral compass or could potentially find the crosshairs of a sniper rifle on one side or the other.

Rookie screenwriter Taylor Sheridan takes a character-driven approach that digs behind the headlines about smugglers and cartel violence, avoiding a political stance while still making a powerful statement. Although it sometimes feels muddled in terms of finding context, the film builds to a riveting final act.

The result is provocative and suspenseful, helped along by solid contributions from cinematographer Roger Deakins (Skyfall) and composer Johann Johannsson (The Theory of Everything). The performances are equally compelling, with Blunt providing the audience’s window into the anything-goes style of law enforcement. Brolin is smugly unpredictable, while Del Toro is sensationally frightening.

The title translates to “hitman” in Spanish, but Sicario provides an intellectual gut-punch that crosses cultural boundaries.

Rated R, 121 minutes.