Manuel here to talk about Sicario, the latest Denis Villeneuve film starring Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin. It already earned strong reviews at Cannes but last week’s trailer was our first extended look at this drug cartel film where Blunt plays an FBI agent enlisted to help in the war against drugs in the US/Mexican border.
I wanted to make a full YES/NO/MAYBE SO for this trailer but realized as soon as we got to this shot...
I was all in. Villeneuve + Blunt + Roger Deakins = YES. YES. YES. It's gorgeous but haunting; it hints at the intense violence that will permeate the film (those walls filled with body bags!) and underscores what a great showcase this will be for Blunt. I love that it feels like both a familiar image (blood washed away in the shower) yet a refreshing one (perhaps it's the fact that she's facing the camera?). It also speaks to the fact that Villeneuve fought to keep his lead a female role but even in shooting her nude in the shower the shot never sexualizes her in ways we've seen filmmakers do before even when framing said characters as "strong" career women. I cannot wait to see what else Deakins has up his sleeve for this film after seeing what great work he did with Villeneuve in Prisoners.
Check out the full trailer below.
Oh, and can we also talk about that gorgeous poster that forsakes floating heads and bad photoshop for effective artwork?
Are you just as excited for it as I am? Will this be the Villeneuve film to finally win over awards accolades (as Nat believes it will) and follow in Traffic & No Country for Old Men’s footsteps?