An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.
- Nominated for 3 Oscars
- 15 wins & 157 nominations total
Raoul Max Trujillo
- Rafael
- (as Raoul Trujillo)
Maximiliano Hernández
- Silvio
- (as Maximiliano Hernandez)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhile Benicio Del Toro's character is frequently silent in the movie, he initially had more lines. "In the original script, the character explained his background several times to Kate," Del Toro said. "And that gave me information about who this guy was, but it felt a little stiff to have someone you just met fifteen minutes ago suddenly telling you what happened to him and who he is." Working with director Denis Villeneuve, Del Toro began cutting some of his dialogue to preserve the mystery of who his character is; Villeneuve estimated they cut 90% of what Del Toro was originally intended to say by screenwriter Taylor Sheridan. Like Del Toro, Villeneuve saw power in stripping the character down to a brooding silence, stating that dialogue belongs to plays and "movies are about movement, character, and presence, and Benicio had all that."
- GoofsIn the sequence following the arrests at the bank, it is stated that something illegal may have occurred that the IRS would be needed to figure out. Making daily deposits of 9000 dollars to avoid the cash transaction reporting limit of 10,000 dollars is a crime known as "structuring". Any law enforcement officer familiar with the narcotics trade would know this.
- SoundtracksHalf Empty
Written by Wyatt Earp and Keith Gattis
Performed by Keith Gattis
Courtesy of Pioneertown Productions
Featured review
'Sicario' had me stoked from the start. It is hard to go wrong with the involvement of cinematographer Roger Deakins, director Denis Villeneuve, writer Taylor Sheridan, advertising that really makes one want to see the film, its critical acclaim and a cast like Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro.
In no way was 'Sicario' a let down. It completely lived up to the hype and all of the attractions/reasons for seeing the film were among the things that made 'Sicario' so good. 'Sicario' to me really is one of the best films of 2015, one of the best crime thriller films in years and a standout film of the decade. Its one stumbling block was that more could have been done with the character of Kate, the character and her motivations seemed a little underwritten somewhat and not always as decisive or plausible as ought. However, it was nowhere near as big a problem as made out (also was completely masked by how brilliant the rest of the film was), because it was clear that she was meant to be something of a fish out of water character and that was brought out very well, meaning that to me some of her actions made sense somewhat.
Everything about the film in general is brilliant and a tour-De-force of film-making, though it is understandable if it doesn't connect with all. 'Sicario' is impeccably made for starters, the setting is both audacious and visceral in showing the horrors and brutality of the setting and the editing is tight, stylish and enhances the brutal atmosphere. Best of all is the cinematography (in close competition in that year's Oscar category with 'The Revenant, which was a deserved winner), with Roger Deakins demonstrating once again why he is one of the best contemporary cinematographers in the business with cinematography that's stunning and darkly gritty, also bringing out the visceral horror.
Denis Villeneuve's directing has a beautiful darkness but also a hard edge that is perfect for the story that 'Sicario' tries to tell. The music score is haunting and pulse-pulsating, one can actually feel their heart beat with tension and anticipation. Can totally see why it was nominated for the Oscar and an easy second to Ennio Morricone's work for 'The Hateful Eight'. Can also see the acclaim for the sound editing, which added a huge amount to the film's authenticity, again up against tight competition in the category that year at the Oscars.
The script is tightly structured and rich in complexity, while the story doesn't need attention-grabbing set pieces to impress or make its point and has more than that on its mind. And all the better for it. It is heavily reliant on atmosphere, this is brutal, harrowing stuff that effectively shows the horrors of the situation and setting without overdoing or sugar-coating it, also showing respect to it. It's wonderfully murky and dark, while also taut and kinetic in its energy (despite the sometimes deliberate, but never dull, pacing).
You couldn't have gotten better performances. The standout is Benicio Del Toro, with the most interesting character (especially in the genuinely shocking final act) and giving a magnificently shady performance that's chilling but also conflicted. Emily Blunt conveys great strength and touching vulnerability, while Josh Brolin is tongue-in-cheek and charming with a touch of ambiguity. Daniel Kaluuya is sort of a moral compass character, something that Kaluuya is movingly sympathetic bringing out.
Overall, a masterpiece tour-De-force with only one minor and ignorable stumbling block. 10/10 Bethany Cox
In no way was 'Sicario' a let down. It completely lived up to the hype and all of the attractions/reasons for seeing the film were among the things that made 'Sicario' so good. 'Sicario' to me really is one of the best films of 2015, one of the best crime thriller films in years and a standout film of the decade. Its one stumbling block was that more could have been done with the character of Kate, the character and her motivations seemed a little underwritten somewhat and not always as decisive or plausible as ought. However, it was nowhere near as big a problem as made out (also was completely masked by how brilliant the rest of the film was), because it was clear that she was meant to be something of a fish out of water character and that was brought out very well, meaning that to me some of her actions made sense somewhat.
Everything about the film in general is brilliant and a tour-De-force of film-making, though it is understandable if it doesn't connect with all. 'Sicario' is impeccably made for starters, the setting is both audacious and visceral in showing the horrors and brutality of the setting and the editing is tight, stylish and enhances the brutal atmosphere. Best of all is the cinematography (in close competition in that year's Oscar category with 'The Revenant, which was a deserved winner), with Roger Deakins demonstrating once again why he is one of the best contemporary cinematographers in the business with cinematography that's stunning and darkly gritty, also bringing out the visceral horror.
Denis Villeneuve's directing has a beautiful darkness but also a hard edge that is perfect for the story that 'Sicario' tries to tell. The music score is haunting and pulse-pulsating, one can actually feel their heart beat with tension and anticipation. Can totally see why it was nominated for the Oscar and an easy second to Ennio Morricone's work for 'The Hateful Eight'. Can also see the acclaim for the sound editing, which added a huge amount to the film's authenticity, again up against tight competition in the category that year at the Oscars.
The script is tightly structured and rich in complexity, while the story doesn't need attention-grabbing set pieces to impress or make its point and has more than that on its mind. And all the better for it. It is heavily reliant on atmosphere, this is brutal, harrowing stuff that effectively shows the horrors of the situation and setting without overdoing or sugar-coating it, also showing respect to it. It's wonderfully murky and dark, while also taut and kinetic in its energy (despite the sometimes deliberate, but never dull, pacing).
You couldn't have gotten better performances. The standout is Benicio Del Toro, with the most interesting character (especially in the genuinely shocking final act) and giving a magnificently shady performance that's chilling but also conflicted. Emily Blunt conveys great strength and touching vulnerability, while Josh Brolin is tongue-in-cheek and charming with a touch of ambiguity. Daniel Kaluuya is sort of a moral compass character, something that Kaluuya is movingly sympathetic bringing out.
Overall, a masterpiece tour-De-force with only one minor and ignorable stumbling block. 10/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Sep 9, 2017
- Permalink
Everything New on Prime Video in December
Everything New on Prime Video in December
Your guide to all the new movies and shows streaming on Prime Video in the US this month.
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Tierra de Nadie: Sicario
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $30,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $46,889,293
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $401,288
- Sep 20, 2015
- Gross worldwide
- $84,997,446
- Runtime2 hours 1 minute
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content