Sicario

[Kane52630]

I feel irritated that I didn't see this again at the theater.

 

[Team Andino]

Went to the only showing at my local theater today to finally see it, absolutely loved it. Had no clue about anything going in as I hadn't seen a trailer, only heard positive word of mouth. So glad I saw this on the big screen.

 

[Any Carolina]

 

[Moridin]

Just got back from this. Intense, haunting atmosphere & score, a visual feast, superbly directed & acted (Which by the way are all things that can also be said about Macbeth, which I saw yesterday. These two really put a fitting exclamation point on this weekend as the weather shifts and the season rolls into winter.)

Really shows how futile, and frankly outright destructive, prohibition is. Same s#!~ happening over and over for decades on end.

 

[Fallen Angel]

This was the original ending that got changed.

http://thefilmstage.com/news/the-or...sicario-and-how-emily-blunt-helped-change-it/

Spoiler

First, Alejandro doesn’t actually kill Fausto’s family. Instead, after asking them to continue eating, he tells the cook to “take them away from here” and gives Fausto an option: “You may choose to die tonight or live with the shame of having the mother of your children take your place.” While Fausto chooses the “shame” of living, Alejandro still kills him and tells his wife, “Maybe you take his money and go hide and raise your children far from here. Maybe your son grows up to be a doctor. And I don’t have to come back and kill him some day.” This certainly hints at the cyclical nature of the drug warfare, but the decided-upon ending has a far greater impact with its unexpectedly chilling, merciless nature.


As for the penultimate scene: Alejandro still shows up to Kate’s apartment, but there is no waiver for her to sign. Instead, after taking apart her gun, he humiliates her by lifting up her shirt and exposing her breasts, pointing out the bruises she endured when he attacked her. (In the original script, she’s shot six times by Alejandro and he shatters her nose.) He then gives the monologue that’s mostly beat-for-beat in the original conclusion. While it’s not a major difference, this ending might have gone a bit too far, given that Alejandro sticking a gun to her head is enough to prove Sicario‘s point.

 

[Snow Queen]

I think the changes were definitely for the best in the latter scene.

 

[Fallen Angel]

I think the changes were definitely for the best in the latter scene.

Agreed and it's not as if the studio wanted it to change. Emily, Bencio and Denis said they all talked it over and decided to change it.

And the way it was done in the movie anyway was chilling enough. This ending would've been a bit too extreme.

 

[shauner111]

Applause for the changes in the scene. Less is more in this situation. I didn't want to look at Alejandro as a pig.

Spoiler

He's cold but it's about revenge and duty. What he says to Kate, what he doesn't do to Kate, and how quick he executes the mother and children with very little said....it spoke VOLUMES. Now, if this was Sons of Anarchy, that kind of ending would have been expected and probably thrown in there just to be shocking. But i believe Villeneuve is classier, and in the end he chose the right direction, whether it was his idea or not.

 

[flickchick85]

I think the changes to both scenes were for the better.

 

[BlackFox]

Thank goodness that ending was changed, alternative sounds horrific.

 

[StarLord]

''You should move to a small town, somewhere the rule of law still exists. You will not survive here. You are not a wolf, and this is a land of wolves now.''

 

[Visceral]

That evil sinks in. Matt Graver picks Kate Mercer because he hates lawyers. He hates that their ideals keep them from doing what he believes is necessary in the fight between good and evil. There are several moments where Graver is cussing out lawyers. The most Ironic part of Sicario is when Mercer asks Alejandro what he did before this. His response is that he was a prosecutor. He was a lawyer, and idealist like her.

That Idealism probably got his family killed. In the end, Mercer cant bring herself to shoot him. She cant shoot unless she is shot at first. The film begins and ends with a gun in her hand. Her character is accused of being passive, which is incorrect. Her character is Jake Gyllenhaal's completely ineffective detective from Prisoners. The difference between them is the fact that Mercer/Blunt still has her innocence at the beginning of the film. Gyllenhaal's detective is already tortured by his pointlessness.

Villanueve is a master of subtlety. And this film has some similarities to his previous films Enemy and Prisoners. They all have very nuanced dialogue that elevates the film above their respective genre. Prisoners is titled that way for a reason. Sicario isn't just a nickname for hit man. It holds religious meaning. Sicarii were the one of first recorded assassin groups, this is way before the Templars, they were the first tip of the spear. This group believed they were sent by God to kill in his name, and they believed Jesus' nonviolent ways were getting them nowhere except killed. they believed in the righteousness of their violence. Its very similar to another small film where Martin Sheen sent by the CIA to kill Marlon Brando, in an operation called "Operation Archangel". Alejandro's "Time to meet God" is not arbitrary dialogue.

I first saw Sicario when I was a bit buzzed and missed the part where Daniel Kaluuya's character correctly guesses Graver/Brolin is CIA. I had to rewatch the film sober to realize Graver/Brolin never admits to being a part of the agency. Apocalypse Now had Sheen going deep into the jungle, while his men reverted to animalistc ways, becoming like apes or wolves. Kate goes through the gates of hell and takes the "wrong" tunnel where her innocence is raped and taken from her.

I think Alejandro believes he is doing something good by taking her innocence. "You remind me of someone very dear to me". Her innocence is taken not by some villain, but by the good guys, who as it turns out are wolves. The scene with Jon Bernthal is very poignant in this respect. The act of love making turned into murder. If you watch the scene again you see its Kate that attacks first. It begs the question how do you love one another in a land of wolves. She is only saved by a bigger wolf. And in the end she holds the gun to Alejandro, but she is pointless lest she become a wolf like him.

 

[Eddie Dean]

OMG, completely forgot about that.

 

[Marvolo]

Havent watched all this yet, but I popped the Blu-ray in before work and watched the opening scene...dat Dolby Atmos track is sublime.

 

[Fallen Angel]

Out on Blu-Ray/DVD now.

http://www.amazon.com/Sicario-Blu-r...07-20&linkId=6400f23b79af33e342def650ee3bddc2

 

[Broseph44]

Didn't see this yet but tempted to just buy the blu ray.

 

[BlackFox]

Out on 1 Feb here in the UK. The film of 2015 for me. Cant wait to see it again.

 

[chamber-music]

Just saw the movie. I quite liked it. Very intense overall although a bit long.

I was surprised to see Daniel Kaluuya as Blunt's partner. He seemed so familiar and then 20 minutes into the movie it clicked that I had seen him in the second episode of the Black Mirror. If you haven't seen the episode "15 Million Merits", check it out. It's a great if also depressing science fiction story with a moving performance from Kaluuya.

Daniel Kaluuya was also in the first generation of Skins, Welcome To The Punch, The Fades and a bunch of other British shows and movies. It is always interesting to see him do serious acting as he is primarily known for his comedic characters.

 

[Black Narcissus]

Out on Blu-Ray/DVD now.

http://www.amazon.com/Sicario-Blu-r...07-20&linkId=6400f23b79af33e342def650ee3bddc2

Bought.

 

[Marvolo]

Didn't see this yet but tempted to just buy the blu ray.

 

[Boom]

This could still land a BP nomination. It's doing quite well with the guilds.

 

[Fallen Angel]

This could still land a BP nomination. It's doing quite well with the guilds.

It could but it would be weird because its' not getting any noms in Acting nor Directing unfortunately. Techs is another possibility with Deakins and score as well for Johansson.

 

[Spider-Who?]

It could but it would be weird because its' not getting any noms in Acting nor Directing unfortunately. Techs is another possibility with Deakins and score as well for Johansson.

Just finished watching it. I'm not surprised. It was good, but I don't think anything was Oscar-worthy.

 

[aNarcHy2day]

I loved the cinematography though. It made the tension REALLY palpable. Deakins is awesome.

 

[Broseph44]

I most likely will.