'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

SICARIO is an intense and gritty drug war thriller that follows an FBI agent as she teams up with some DEA agents to wage war on drug gangs in south-of-the-border Mexico. It's a film that features oodles of gritty realism, along with graphic depictions of violence and the like, much like Denis Villeneuve's previous movie PRISONERS. The grand, epic-style action sequences that fuel SICARIO make it a superior film to that, although I still found it a little lacking.

Despite the length of the film and the big speeches and the like, the story actually turns out to be very simplistic and little different from the story lines in an average low rent action flick. I'm no fan of Emily Blunt, aside from her role in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, and as in LOOPER she feels out of place here. Luckily you get veteran genre actors like Benicio Del Toro to balance things out a bit. Some of the establishing shots, like of the convoy of soldiers riding through the streets of Mexico, are quite breathtaking, and the film has an excellent soundtrack that adds plenty of suspense to the proceedings. Overall, I did find it all a little hollow though.

Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) and Reggie Wayne (Daniel Kaluuya) are part of a FBI strike team looking to rescue kidnapped victim in Arizona. They find a hideout filled with dead bodies. A booby trap kills two cops. A mysterious Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) tricks Kate to volunteer to join him on a mission around El Paso. He's supposed to be an adviser to the DOD. An even more mysterious Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro) from Columbia is part of the team with Delta Force and a couple of Marshals. She is shocked to be going into Mexico to retrieve a prisoner.

Director Denis Villeneuve and cinematographer Roger Deakins deliver beautiful action in the beginning. The drive through Juárez doesn't actually have any big action but the tension is amazing. The scene at the border is thrilling. The first section of the movie is Alice falling down the rabbit hole. The acting is superb. The story is not different but it is told with a powerful intensity. This is simply one of the year's best.