Wednesday, January 13, 2016

'Blu-ray or Bust' - SICARIO


'Blu-ray or Bust'
SICARIO (2015, R, 121 minutes, BLACK LABEL MEDIA/LIONSGATE)


When it comes to Oscar worthy films, this last year was kind of slow.  There were a butt-ton of movies that came out in 2015—no less than three hundred Hollywood films were released—but when it comes to standouts, or “Oscar favorites”, there were only a few that come to mind.

SICARIO is one of those few.  Starring Emily Blunt (EDGE OF TOMORROW, LOOPER) as a young FBI agent who finds herself recruited for a hands-on role in the war on the Mexican drug cartels, this film thrusts you into the passenger seat with her driving.  It is her perspective we witness the chaos, and hers is the only conscious morality you can rely on.  She is recruited to the battle by shady Government spook Matt Graver (Josh Brolin), whose right-hand-man is an even more mysterious figure.  His side is never clear until the very end—and even then, you kind of knew it all along.  That right hand is none other than Benicio Del Toro, and he shines.

Honestly, they all do.  This film has “Oscar-bait” written all over it.  The acting is great; Brolin is a wonderful, barely controlled bundle of mayhem, and Del Toro is his exact opposite: smooth, calculating…there is almost a hidden poetry to his violence that makes you want to see him work.  They make a formidable pair, and the life they breathe into their characters is a sight to behold.


Blunt, fresh off her last stint with action-God-wannabe Tom Cruise, gives what is easily the best performance of her career.  Thoughtful, honest, and desperate to not let everything that happens around her change her moral stance; hers is the struggle that defines the film, and keeps the story grounded.

But even if all three of them deserve an Oscar, so does writer Taylor Sheridan for his tight script, Denis Villeneuve for his efficient direction, and, most importantly, Roger Deakins for his brilliant eyeballs.  The cinematographer has a total of seventy-four films under his belt, and you have probably seen every one of them.  He captures not only the New Mexico landscape and the great big sky above it in a majestic way, his interiors of the cities and streets of Mexico itself is amazing.  From the moment he takes you on a car-ride through the volatile streets of Juarez, up until you are running through the night with infrared cameras alongside Blunt and the gang, down into a dark tunnel, he creates an atmosphere that is both claustrophobic and provocative.  But it is the way he and director Villeneuve make you a participant in this film that seals the deal.  From Blunt’s thoughtful and loaded silence to the revving of engines and the distant popping of gunfire, you see it all, feel it all, and will more than likely feel just as lost as her character does.  You are swept up into a giant wave, and you have no choice but to ride it out.


This is a must on Blu-ray.  From the gunfights to the quite somberness of sneaking into a tunnel, the visuals and sounds are best witnessed in the high quality format.  Also, this release has what could be some of the best docs released on a disc this year.  The first one, “Stepping Into Darkness”, gives you an immersive look into how the film was made.  From the production design to the cinematography, you get a taste of everything.  The second focuses on the three main characters, and offers insight into how the visual art is used to create a character.

While the Oscar nominations will be released on the 14th, I have hopes that this film will lead the race.  I count at least six people involved with this production that deserve a nice, shiny statuette.  You put a production like this together, you figure someone in Hollywood might notice…
           
           
Film Grade: A
Special Features: A
Blu-ray Necessary: Abso-freakin’-lutely

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