Sicario
Performance & Direction: Sicario Review
Last updated: January 22, 2026
Quick Verdict: Hit or Flop?
Is Sicario (2015) worth watching? According to our cinematic analysis, the film stands as a HIT with a verified audience rating of 7.4/10. Whether you're looking for the box office collection, ending explained, or parents guide, our review covers everything you need to know about this Action.
Cast Performances: A Masterclass
The success of any Action is often anchored by its ensemble, and Sicario features a noteworthy lineup led by Emily Blunt . Supported by the likes of Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin , the performances bring a palpable realism to the scripted words.
Performance Analysis: While the cast delivers competent and professional performances, they are occasionally hampered by a script that leans into familiar archetypes.
Final Verdict: Is it Worth Watching?
In summary, our editorial assessment of Sicario (2015) is overwhelmingly positive. With an audience rating of 7.4/10, it stands as a mandatory watch for any serious cinema lover.
Story & Plot Summary: Sicario
Quick Plot Summary: Sicario is a Action, Crime, Thriller film that delivers highly intense sequences and pulse-pounding confrontations that keep viewers on the edge of their seats. This summary provides a scannable look at the movie's central conflict and narrative structure.
Story Breakdown
The narrative structure follows a classic action blueprint: establish the protagonist's world, introduce a formidable antagonist, and escalate the stakes through increasingly intense confrontations. 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. The film balances spectacular set pieces with character moments, ensuring the action serves the story rather than overwhelming it. This approach calls everyone and everything into question as the plot unfolds.
Narrative Structure
- Opening Hook: The film opens with an explosive sequence that immediately establishes the stakes and introduces our protagonist in action.
- Character Arc: The main character shows growth throughout the story, though some supporting characters could have been more fully realized. The arc is present but occasionally predictable.
- Climax & Resolution: The final confrontation delivers on the buildup, with stakes at their highest and the protagonist using everything they've learned.
Thematic Depth
Beyond the spectacle, the film explores themes of justice, redemption, and the cost of violence. It questions whether the ends justify the means and examines the personal toll of heroism.
What Works & What Doesn't
✅ Strengths
- Solid execution of genre conventions
- Engaging moments that showcase the filmmakers' vision
- Competent performances from the cast
⚠️ Weaknesses
- Some narrative choices that feel predictable
- Occasional pacing lulls in the middle act
Ending Explained: Sicario
Ending Breakdown: Sicario resolves its central conflict while maintaining thematic consistency. The finale has been praised for its approach to action resolution.
The final reveal recontextualizes earlier scenes, offering viewers material for post-viewing discussion.
Ending Analysis:
- Narrative Resolution: The story concludes with clear resolution of its central conflicts, providing closure while maintaining some ambiguity.
- Character Arcs: Main characters complete meaningful transformations, reflecting the film's thematic priorities.
- Thematic Payoff: The ending reinforces the action themes established throughout the runtime.
The final moments of Sicario reflect the filmmakers' creative choices, offering an ending that aligns with the film's tone and style.
Sicario Real vs. Reel: Is it Based on a True Story?
Sicario incorporates elements from real criminal cases. As a action, crime, thriller film, it navigates the space between factual accuracy and narrative engagement.
Historical Context
The film balances historical fidelity with cinematic storytelling. Core events maintain connection to source material while adapting for theatrical presentation.
The production demonstrates respect for its source material, focusing on emotional truth over strict chronology.
Accuracy Assessment: Sicario adapts its source material for dramatic purposes. The film prioritizes thematic resonance over documentary precision.
Who Should Watch Sicario?
Worth Watching If You:
- Enjoy Action films and don't mind familiar tropes
- Are a fan of the cast or director
- Want an adrenaline rush without demanding perfection
Box Office Collection: Sicario
| Metric / Region | Collection (Approx) |
|---|---|
| Production Budget | $30.0M |
| Worldwide Gross | $85.0M |
| Trade Verdict | CLEAN HIT |
Sicario Budget
The estimated production budget for Sicario is $30.0M. This figure covers principal photography, talent acquisitions, and visual effects. When accounting for global marketing and distribution, the break-even point is typically 2x the base production cost.
Top Cast: Sicario
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Where to Watch Sicario Online?
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Amazon VideoSicario Parents Guide & Age Rating
2015 AdvisoryWondering about Sicario age rating or if it's safe for kids? Here is our cinematic advisory:
⏱️ Runtime & Duration
The total runtime of Sicario is 122 minutes (2h 2m). Ensuring you have enough time for the full cinematic experience.
Final Verdict
Analyzing the audience sentiment, IMDb rating of 7.4/10, and global collection metrics, Sicario stands as a successful venture for the creators. It remains an essential piece of the 2015 cinematic year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sicario worth watching?
Sicario is definitely worth watching if you enjoy Action movies. It has a verified rating of 7.4/10 and stands as a HIT in our box office analysis.
Where can I find Sicario parents guide and age rating?
The official parents guide for Sicario identifies it as R. Our detailed advisory section above covers all content warnings for families.
What is the total runtime of Sicario?
The total duration of Sicario is 122 minutes, which is approximately 2h 2m long.
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How Sicario Compares & Where it Ranks
Critic Reviews for Sicario
> One of the finest movie about the raids on cartel gangs. This was really a great film. Fighting against the drug trafficking was the theme. The story of an FBI agent who was recruited to work in an elite force that no one knows its existence. Their's aim is to tackle the main source, instead to deal with its lower order. Something that impossible to do without international cooperation. Every raid is done in secretively, sometime if required at any cost in whatever effort to stop it. Like I said, this was an awesome movie, and good to see it after the documentary like 'Cartel Land'. The story is kind of hard to detail it out, because it was more an action movie than the talking. How a special force unit goes after the bad guys and stops them is the main plot. But the characters were so distinctive, every main roles had their own agenda for what they are doing and that's how the narration dominated with the high standards. The cast who played them were simply outstanding, including that starts with Emily Blunt, who is someone looks changed the attitude to play physically challenging roles after 'Edge of Tomorrow'. And then Josh Brolin and another one, an upcoming young British actor who I really don't know, but Benicio Del Toro was actually the show stealer. His part was unexpectedly great, totally raw and aggressive. Especially the his end scene, no one could have guessed it, but that's how the way it is. No doubt any top actors would have denied to perform that, anyway well shot with minimum violence, but the intention was very clear as fighting against the dark forces to cut off the head first. One of the best movie of the year, so definitely recommended if you're interested. 8½/10
An stereotypical plot with, somehow, some interesting addition. The plot is not superb but the script is really good, Del Toro makes a good performance and, as alway, a great pleasure to watch any movie with Emily Blunt on it. Great performance. The directing is also really good and the soundtrack is remarkable, creating quite an atmosphere. Finally, the action scenes are very well done, with a sense of contempt. No fireworks here, just something that can be the closest to reality.
'Sicario' was a really good action film. The acting all around was very good (in particularly Emily Blunt). The set pieces were very well made. ★★★½
Not since the opening farmhouse scene from _Inglourious Barsteds_ have I seen such masterful control of palpable tension. _Final rating: ★★★½ - I strongly recommend you make the time._
Still a fantastic crime suspense-thriller featuring great performances but one better than Benicio Del Toro who should have gotten an Oscar nomination for that role, not to mention the direction from Denis Villeneuve. As always Roger Deakins's cinematography was brilliant. **4.75/5**
**A good kind of mystery** A security operation through which a large number of corpses are explored reveals that there is a cartel war rising on the horizon, but in a hidden way, and ends with the formation of a team to eliminate the cartel in Mexico and target the big heads. The film focuses on the points of view of 3 people in the direction of the case, the first is Kate, a beginner who follows the laws strictly and considers that the mission is a moral responsibility, the second is Alejandro as Benicio Del Toro, who is experienced with mysterious intentions, and the third is Silvio (asiliano Maxim Hernandez), the Mexican policeman on his mission own. All of these personalities have their own side, who pulls the other into his world, and who is the correct point of view among them. The film focuses on questions and personalities, not events, in order to reach the Mexican cartel. Each character has a special direction to reach the goal, and this makes their opposing ideas cause a sharp collision between order and chaos, and between formulas that allow bad action and the fine line between good and evil. The film's opposing characters gave the film a mystery and made us wonder what exactly is happening and why it is implemented in this way. Then we quickly get to know the characters, but they are opposite through their actions and reactions. With these details, the director and writer were able to communicate their point of view to the viewer, and it was three things: how and when does information reach the viewer How do they hide this information, how do they benefit from this concealment, and finally how is tension built. Are Kate right or Matt and Alejandro right? Those who made Kate a marginalized role, so why did they choose her from the beginning until she abused her reactions, as if they were deliberately provoking her? We see the words of Matt and Alejandro and their side conversations, as well as their planning and movements with the mission and Kate, and we do not know what is happening, but when the information reached us, it reached us without value, as if they were taking advantage of Kate's ignorance and her presence for goals, but she is in the first place These targets are unknown. These vague goals are considered a problem in the subtraction, because when the viewer is not aware of what is happening, the matter becomes blurry and the events are considered vague, but Kate, since she is the character, has the same problem as the viewer, so she became a source of strength and is the basis of the course of the movie. It was wonderful when you see a mystery of this kind.
Great cast performances! 'Sicario' has a lot going in its favour, for example the cinematography and the sound design, but it is those onscreen that elevate this release up for me. Emily Blunt is excellent, Josh Brolin is very good himself. Benicio del Toro is, though, the strongest performer in my opinion, I thoroughly enjoyed watching him portray Alejandro. Elsewhere, neat to have Jon Bernthal involved, Daniel Kaluuya too. I will say that the film didn't totally enthrall me as much as I was anticipating/hoping it would, but that's not to take away from the fact that this is an entertaining movie and one that is definitely worth a watch. Looking forward to seeing what the sequels hold.
When a domestic mission goes quite spectacularly, if quite innovatively, wrong the enthusiastic but somewhat naive FBI agent "Kate" (Emily Blunt) is offered a chance to sign up for a team that's going to avenge things. It's to be run by "Graver" (Josh Brolin) and feature the strong, silent and enigmatic type that is "Alejandro" (Benicio Del Toro). She doesn't much like the look of him, indeed she finds the whole operation a bit dodgy but off to El Paso they go to try to stop the war against the increasingly well armed and successful drug cartels. Their objective is not to tinker with the mechanics of these operations, but to identify the kingpins and remove them from the board. What she (and we) soon realise is that this is one of those missions far more clandestine than it is lawful. Plenty of rules are stretched, ignored or just downright broken as their team must fight with the weapons of the enemy if they are to have any chance of tracking down their primary target - "Manuel Díaz" (Bernardo Saracino). What she also comes to realise quite quickly is that she is not fully briefed, indeed she is being drip fed information in a fashion that frequently drives her to want to throw in the towel. She prevails, though, and as the plot unravels we are all exposed to a ruthless, efficient and internecine network that is easily a match for it's theoretically better armed and informed pursuers. It's also at this stage that we appreciate that "Alejandro" does have his own agenda, and woe betides anyone who gets between him and his self-appointed task. Though Brolin is really neither here nor there here, this features a strong effort from Blunt as "Kate" comes to terms with some fairly profound challenges to her morals and principles. Del Toro doesn't have too much to say, but again he delivers well in his usual less-is-more style. Little dialogue just a menacing style of characterisation that you just know is only on her side until, well, he might not be. It hits the ground running and takes care to establish characters that are plausible, if not especially likeable, whilst showing us what might be as true an assessment of the war for control of the billion dollar narcotics industry as we'll have seen on a big screen.
Sicario is a slow-burning, intense thriller that delivers on tension but falls a bit short when it comes to depth. The story follows an idealistic FBI agent thrown into the brutal world of cartel warfare, where the lines between right and wrong blur fast. The setup is great, and the film builds tension well, but the lack of depth in the cartel, who are the driving force behind the protagonist’s struggles, makes it hard to fully invest in the stakes. While some might appreciate the detached, shadowy approach to the villains, it left me feeling disconnected from the mission itself. Denis Villeneuve’s direction is top-notch, making every scene feel deliberate and atmospheric. The cinematography, led by Roger Deakins, is absolutely stunning, using light, shadow, and vast landscapes to create a haunting visual experience. The action sequences are raw and realistic, with a standout border crossing scene that might be one of the best in modern thrillers. The script, while solid in terms of structure, doesn’t fully flesh out the antagonists, making the conflict feel one-sided. The performances carry the film, with Emily Blunt doing a great job portraying a character out of her depth, even if her arc feels frustrating at times. Benicio del Toro is the real standout, bringing a cold, quiet intensity that dominates every scene he’s in. Josh Brolin nails his role as the laid-back but ruthless government operative, adding just the right amount of charisma. The score, composed by Jóhann Jóhannsson, is heavy and ominous, perfectly complementing the film’s mood. Overall, Sicario is technically brilliant, but its lack of depth in key areas holds it back from being truly great, for me, at least.
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This analysis is compiled by our editorial experts using multi-source verification and audience sentiment data for maximum accuracy.
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