I wasn’t as big a fan of Prisoners, from director Denis Villeneuve, as the general consensus, but it definitely set a mood. It appears he’s brought that same gritty bleakness (and famed cinematographer Roger Deakins) to Sicario, a drug-cartel drama starring Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro, whose contract with Hollywood stipulates he play a supporting role in all Mexican drug dramas.
In Mexico, SICARIO means hitman. In the lawless border area stretching between the U.S. and Mexico, an idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by an elite government task force official to aid in the escalating war against drugs. Led by an enigmatic consultant with a questionable past, the team sets out on a clandestine journey forcing Kate to question everything that she believes in order to survive. (Via Cannes Synopsis)
Mexican drug dramas are like my heroin, so I’m all in for this one, even if it’s just two hours of heavily accented men solemnly telling me what a soft-ass gringo b*tch I am. I’m guessing Del Toro’s character turns out to be a bad guy. You know what they say about that guy. He flip you. Flip you for real.
It opens in limited release Sept. 18 and nationwide Sept. 25. By the way, if you want to see a documentary about a similar subject, check out Narco Cultura, one of the most gory, depressing documentaries I’ve ever seen.