In Hollywood, we’ve seen the war on drugs take place in many of its forms and angles. It is often projected as an endless battle that the US government always seems to win for the sake of dramatic arcs that make sense from an optimistic point of view. It allows you to rest easy after you leave the theater and think, “God bless those who care for us.”
But it’s rare to see the dynamic play out internally without following the usual structure of drama where the good guys should win. Those good guys are always presented as good, and apart from a few bad apples, the morals are seen as nothing but pristine in the war on drugs.
Dennis Villeneuves Sicario is different. The end apparently justifies the means, and means represent all that can be done to restore order and control. In Villeneuve’s clumsily realistic film, the “good guys” aren’t very good, as “good” seems to have become obsolete in the traditional view of drugs, violence, and politics that dominate the underworld of crime.
If you could eradicate drugs, drug dealers, cartels and drug-based capitalism, wouldn’t you sacrifice everything, even yourself?
A moral code based on performance above all else
In Sicario, FBI agent Kate Macer survives a trauma after a raid leads to terrible consequences. Some of her partners die, but she attracts the attention of the big bosses. She is recommended to a task force charged with taking out the Sonora Cartel once and for all. She is joined by two CIA “specialists” who seem to be one step ahead of the competition.
Kate doesn’t go on a trip – she falls down a rabbit hole, one of deceit carefully planned to mercilessly take down the cartel leaders. In the operations, nothing seems legal and anything can be illegal. If Kate fights back, appeals to the police’s humanity and speaks the truth about what feels like a staged puppet operation, it may be too late. She is now part of a destruction machine. Kate (wonderfully played by Emily Blunt) is integral to keeping audiences observing the rotten codes that drive U.S. agents to seek their accomplishments above all else.
Sicario illuminates how it sheds light on the corrupt side of an organism that is cryptic by nature. Taylor Sheridan’s script doesn’t insist on extreme realism, but on the sheer lack of a moral compass by which to guide ourselves. Both sides of the drug war are eager to achieve their goals and an innocent cop represents the public that is nothing but meat going through the mill, the unconscious victims who are supposed to rest when the good guys win.
One soul corrupted for the public’s own good
During the day Sicario‘s first act (and in one of many pivotal scenes), Agent Macer realizes she’s part of something bigger than she ever imagined. She asks a question. To the mercenaries outside the truck, but also to herself: “What the f*** are we doing?” It’s her only vocal way of dealing with the disaster she sees coming out of practically nothing. Her reaction is emotional yet smart at the same time, as she is forced to take a shot that she will soon regret.
But the most ironic moment in the scene comes when the leader of the operation reveals to Kate that “this is the future”. Oh, she better learn to follow the rules of a game where the rules are basically being rewritten every second and each side has its own rules. At this point, Macer understands how far she must be willing to go to survive, but also to contribute in her fight against a certain kind of terrorism. But it is not state terrorism that she has to fight as often as she sees fit. The mission’s initial approach is now a collection of lies she must overcome in order to observe the ultimate target, one that has absolutely nothing to do with her own beliefs.
Caught in an elevator that goes straight to hell
For Kate, the coda was born out of sheer fear. A deadly assassin, as we have just seen, says, “I would recommend not standing on balconies for a while.” He is there to impose the most horrifying truth. We won’t spoil what happens, but after the “good guys” win, the real good loses in a shocking scene where Macer’s humanity is subjected to absolute terror. She surrenders and we, the audience, are left with a bittersweet taste in our mouths,
Sicario is a technical feat. The impressive score of the late Jóhann Jóhannsson, stunning cinematography by the master Roger Deakins and outstanding performances by Blunt, Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin. This is an action thriller in the form of a drama that rises above its peers.
The reasons? Because of its focused realism and the way it depicts an effective organ in the government system fighting drugs every day. Are a claustrophobic movie who knows how to caress the audience with wide shots and desolate environments where humanity is overestimated. After the first 15 minutes of Sicario, do you think you are going to see another revealing movie about the dangerous threats of drug cartels that are booming in modern society. But Villeneuve and Sheridan decide to also focus on the grinder that stands on the other side and represents us, the ones who “should” prevail. But are the costs just too high?
Sicario is available to rent/buy on Prime Video.