The crime thriller Sicario, starring Emily Blunt, is now streaming on BBC iPlayer and has drawn widespread acclaim, with one viewer calling it “one of the best movies ever made.”
The 2015 film follows FBI agent Kate Macer, played by Emily Blunt, who is recruited to join a dubious government operation targeting a Mexican cartel boss. The title means “hitman” in Spanish.
Critics and Viewers Praise the Thriller
According to the film’s synopsis, Kate is recruited by an enigmatic government official, played by Josh Brolin, while Benicio del Toro delivers a powerful performance as Alejandro Gillick, a former Mexican prosecutor turned contract killer. Alejandro leads the team’s hunt for one drug lord to unmask an even more dangerous figure.
Kate is an idealist who comes to understand that the operation’s methods are ethically questionable at best, if not downright illegal. The supporting cast includes Daniel Kaluuya as a rookie FBI agent, alongside Victor Garber and Jon Bernthal.
Awards and Reception
The film boasts a 93% Rotten Tomatoes rating, with critics saying: “Led by outstanding work from Emily Blunt and Benicio del Toro, Sicario is a taut, tightly wound thriller with much more on its mind than attention-getting set pieces.”
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the filmmaker behind Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, and the Dune movies, Sicario received three Oscar nominations for Best Cinematography, Original Score, and Sound Editing.
One enthusiastic reviewer wrote on Letterboxd: “pretty much just held my breath for two hours straight what a RIDE”. Another commented: “Never has a film kept me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning, but Sicario grabbed my throat and sparingly let me come up for air.”
On IMDb, one viewer noted: “One of those select few thrillers that will have your eyes stuck to the screen from the opening credits to the very end, and I mean that literally: I changed my sitting position many times during the film, yet I clearly recall never ever turning my head away from the film, this is how intense it is.”
On Rotten Tomatoes, one passionate viewer stated: “One of the best movies ever made IMO. Have seen it many times.”
Streaming Details
Sicario received a five-star review from Empire magazine, which called it “a beautifully murky, hard-edged thriller. Quite simply, one of the best films of the year.”
The opening two instalments of the Sicario trilogy are available to stream on BBC iPlayer. The follow-up, Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018), features del Toro. The final instalment, Sicario: Capos, is presently in development.
