Sicario
Movie, 2015, Named by the writer, Set in First in the trilogy
Sicario is #44 of 48 in release order and #13 of 48 in chronological order in the Spiritual Trilogies.
The story
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.
Sicario recap
FBI agent Kate Macer leads a raid on a house in Arizona that turns out to hold dozens of bodies hidden in the walls, and two officers die in a booby trap. She is recruited by Matt Graver, a Department of Defense adviser, onto a task force against the Sonora cartel. With his mysterious partner Alejandro, they cross into Juarez to extract a cartel figure, Guillermo, and kill gunmen at the border crossing. Kate learns the operation is meant to push the cartel boss Manuel Diaz into contact with his superior, Fausto Alarcon. She is nearly strangled by a corrupt police officer set up through a bar date, and finds Matt is using her because the CIA needs an FBI agent present to work at home. The team raids a smuggling tunnel, where Alejandro grabs a Mexican cop, Silvio, and goes into Mexico. It begins Taylor Sheridan's Frontier Trilogy, three films he wrote about violence and lawlessness on the American frontier today.
Sicario ending explained
Alejandro kills the cartel boss Alarcon and his family, and forces Kate to sign off on the operation. Alejandro uses Silvio to reach Diaz, kills him, and finds Alarcon at dinner with his family. Alejandro, a former prosecutor whose wife and daughter Alarcon had murdered, shoots Alarcon's family and then Alarcon. He then finds Kate and makes her sign a statement that the operation was legal. As he leaves she aims her gun at him and cannot fire. In Mexico, Silvio's son's football game pauses for distant gunfire.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch Sicario
Sicario is streaming on HBO Max in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes 91%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Whiplash, before The Martian.
- Chronological order: after In the Mouth of Madness, before Hell or High Water.
Cast
- Emily Blunt as Kate Macer
- Benicio del Toro as Alejandro Gillick
- Josh Brolin as Matt Graver
- Victor Garber as Dave Jennings
- Jon Bernthal as Ted
- Daniel Kaluuya as Reggie Wayne
- Jeffrey Donovan as Steve Forsing
- Raoul Max Trujillo as Rafael
- Julio Cesar Cedillo as Fausto Alarcon
- Hank Rogerson as Phil Coopers
- Bernardo P. Saracino as Manuel Diaz
- Maximiliano Hernández as Silvio
Directed by Denis Villeneuve.