A well-crafted thriller
Sicario (R16, 121mins) Looking for a nice, relaxing night out at the movies? This ain’t the film for you.
Sicario (which, in Mexico, means ‘‘hitman’’) is intense – from its dark subject matter, right down to its unnerving score.
It also doesn’t waste any time getting stuck into it. The opening scene throws us straight into an FBI raid in Arizona that reveals such grisly findings that even the cops are tossing their cookies. Leading that raid is Kate, a kickass FBI agent played by Emily Blunt. Her actions catch the attention of a special taskforce targeting the Mexican drug cartels, headed by smooth-talking CIA agent Matt (Josh Brolin) and his ‘‘associate’’, the mysterious Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro).
Frustrated at the lack of progress her team is making on the war on drugs, Kate signs up for the mission. The only problem is, she doesn’t really know what that mission is.
Herein lies the mastery behind Sicario, as we, the audience, are also left in the dark for much of the film. What exactly is their mission? Who are they really working for? And, on a more philosophical level, who are the good guys and the bad guys in this war?
Blunt is brilliant as the frustrated heroine trying to answer those questions. She nails the tricky combination of toughness and vulnerability and is clearly capable of holding her own with the big boys on the action/ thriller front. Brolin is also perfectly cast, yet it’s Del Toro who steals the show, delivering a mesmerising performance with very little dialogue.
In fact, a lot is left unsaid in Sicario, and that’s what makes it such an intelligent suspense film. French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve, who earned praise for thrillers such as Prisoners and Enemy (both 2013), clearly knows how to build tension through subtle means, relying on his strong cast and some haunting cinematography to drag us into the dark world of drug cartels.
There’s none of the usual Hollywood over-the-top action stuff here – just a well-crafted film that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
And so it begins
There is obviously only one place for a true rugby fan to be on the morning of Saturday, September 19, and that is in front of the telly as the 2015 Rugby World Cup tournament kicks off at Twickenham Stadium in London. The Opening Ceremony begins at 6am, with the first match between the hosts England and Fiji, at 6.45am. The All Blacks’ first match, against Argentina, is at 3.20am on Monday. Six weeks, 20 teams and 48 games later, and we should know if Richie McCaw’s men really can make their mark as the best team in Rugby World Cup history. Sky Sport 1 and Prime,
Saturday, 6am
It’s about time, Doctor!
If you’ve been hanging out for the second season of Peter Capaldi’s incarnation as Time Lord, Doctor Who, then hang no longer. The good Doctor is back this week in a new series of intergalactic adventures, beginning with a story in which the skies of Earth have been frozen by a mysterious alien force and the doc’s companion, Clara, is in need of his help. One problem: the Doctor has gone into hiding. Could it be the fact that the Daleks are back, or that another villain has returned from the dead?
Prime, Sunday, 7.30pm
Ready For Battle
Being tall, dark and handsome has landed Josh Duhamel yet another action role – this time in a new US crime comedy-drama titled Battle Creek. Josh gets to play the smart and well-groomed FBI agent Milt Chamberlain, who washes up in the Creek to partner a jaded local cop, who is struggling with budget cuts and a lack of proper policing equipment. It looks like the battle is going to be as much between the
Animal Planet, Tuesday, 9.30pm
Humans on the menu
Showing humans at the mercy of a vengeful and malevolent natural world isn’t a new idea for sci-fi and horror writers, but a new series on The Zone this week takes it another level. The US drama Zoo imagines what would happen if the predatory animals of the world collectively decided that it was their turn to be at the top of the food tree – and that we are the food. In the aftermath of the killing of Cecil The Lion in Africa, this seems a rather prescient idea. Have you been to the zoo lately?
The Zone, Wednesday, 8.30pm.