Sicario: This Is The Land Of Wolves

The opening of "Sicario" begins with subtitles explaining the word "Sicario": in Mexico, "Sicario" means "hitman." The film sets a heavy story background for this special titled hitman: the Mexican heartland and drug trafficking.

Canadian director Denis Villeneuve once said that when someone gave him the script for this film, they told him that this was the story he had been searching for, and it turned out that person was right. Denis said this film is more related to war than Mexico and drugs. Under the increasingly rampant violence, people are becoming more silent, which makes him feel the need to face this fear. In his previous beloved works, whether it was "Prisoners," "Enemy," or "Incendies," he often said that "fear" was the source of his inspiration.

And this time, the story unfolds exactly as the tagline suggests: "The border is just another line to cross." The extremes and challenges of this time are not just about walking along the border between the United States and Mexico. It involves not only the breaking of national borders but also the challenging of legal boundaries and even the trampling of inner principles.

Under the outstanding contributions of director Denis Villeneuve, cinematographer Roger Deakins, and composer Johann Johannsson, the film can be deemed as a masterpiece of art. Denis is best at expressing inner emotions: repression, heaviness, and gloominess. In "Sicario," Denis Villeneuve takes a different approach compared to his previous films like "Enemy" and "Prisoners." There are fewer indoor lights reminiscent of "Enemy," and the sense of urgency from the chases seen in "Prisoners" is toned down. Instead, in "Sicario," Denis delves into capturing the film's profound essence. He skilfully pierces the hearts of the viewers with a well-balanced approach, starting from the heart-wrenching and terrifying opening scenes to the ongoing conflicts that eventually escalate to a bloody climax.

In numerous pivotal moments throughout the film, the sombre and low-key music exerts a powerful control over the audience, almost like a requiem, and it seems to be able to manipulate the viewers' breath and heartbeat. Different types of music such as heavy drums, bass horns, and cellos appear in different weighty scenes of the film, yet the tone and rhythm of the music remain monotonous and repetitive. This slows down the viewer's heartbeat, slows down their breathing, and causes their pupils to dilate. The meticulous creation of this atmosphere is exceptionally well-executed, enhancing the overall impact of the film on the audience.

From the beginning, the film conveys a lifeless battlefield atmosphere with the white sand.

Then, the aerial shots of the barren land in Mexico, with sparse green vegetation among the desert thorns, are piercingly poignant. It takes us from the sandy area to the rich urban areas, crossing the borders, and finally to the impoverished mountainous regions. The densely packed slums in the residential area of the poor are suffocating. With such a setting, the scene of the convoy extracting hostages is truly breath-taking.

Beneath the desolate expanse of the Mexican landscape, five heavily armed military black Chevrolet vehicles set out in a precisely coordinated formation. They stick closely together, every turn and overtaking manoeuvre is executed flawlessly, like an unbreakable chain, maintaining a consistent distance between them, the vehicles pressed forward until they reached the border checkpoint, their formation unyielding as they advanced through the barren terrain.

Upon entering, more local law enforcement officers can be seen providing support. Several heavily armed police officers stand on off-road patrol vehicles. The first three vehicles clear the way, while the last three secure the rear, with the five black Chevrolet vehicles sandwiched in the middle. The convoy instantly doubles in length, but remains disciplined and orderly, maintaining their tight formation.

At that moment, Alejandro, sitting in one of the vehicles, says, "Welcome to Juárez." The camera shows the mutilated corpses hanging from the bridge and walls covered in missing women posters.

The convoy then speeds through the iron gate and enters a base. They come to a halt, take over the hostages covered in black cloth, and quickly head back. There is no room for complacency as they race back, re-enacting the escort process that just took place. However, on the return journey, there are four police cars both in the front and at the rear, and parallel escort convoys can still be seen in the adjoining lanes.

In this series of camera shots, the entire plot can be summarized in just one sentence: Extract and deliver the hostages with caution. At the film's outset, the audience's perception of the Mexican hinterland and law enforcement's battle against drug-related crime might have been vague and conceptual. However, as the intricate series of plot twists unfolds, it delivers a profound impact, striking each viewer with a powerful blow. With Roger Deakins' masterful direction, the film is infused with unexpected surprises, leaving the audience captivated and astonished by the unfolding story.

If the mark of a good photographer lies in their ability to capture beautiful landscapes, then a master photographer is one who can not only bring those picturesque scenes to life on screen but also intricately weave them into the fabric of the plot's theme, conveying deeper meaning and emotion.

During the climactic moment, as the sun sets and darkness descends, the team stealthily infiltrates a border cave. The view of the sunset is so breath-taking as the assault team gets out of the car.

The fully equipped team gradually turns into silhouettes, slowly walking down the hill in the still frame. The composition of half colourful clouds and half silhouette of hills allows the soldiers in it to complete the transition from walking under the sunset to gradually blending into the silhouette of the hills, becoming one with the darkness. It also foreshadows that the plot of the film will enter into a darker abyss.

Following seamlessly, night vision mode naturally engages. Without any abrupt shifts, the scene transitions into black and white thermal imaging and the grainy green night vision footage, capturing the team's movement through the rugged mountains. Eventually, they reach the cave entrance, where the captain calmly orders the weapons to be unholstered, wishing everyone good luck before they venture inside.

In the shot, the cave entrance reveals a deep blue sky, and the one leading the way should be Alejandro, holding a submachine gun in his right hand, and pulling out a military knife from his leg with his left hand, yet he never stops moving forward. When his body moves from the centre of the frame to the left side, the backlight only shows the silhouette of a short knife in the centre of the frame. The atmosphere is almost tangible, and this kind of knife mode is as intimidating as the first-person perspective of Resident Evil.

This film relies on solid shots to deliver an indescribable impact to the audience. Some say that the plot of the movie is weak, but I believe that the theme has been clearly conveyed through the dialogue of the main characters.

Alejandro says, "You Americans won't understand what we're doing. But in the end, you will understand that what we're doing is right." Alejandro is a man of few words. For him, it's not just about completing the mission, but also about personal revenge. He won't stop until he achieves his goal.

At the beginning of the story, the FBI team leader Kate easily reminds people of the character played by Jessica in "Zero Dark Thirty." She is a skilled advocate of justice. However, you will soon discover their fundamental differences. Kate is the one who is added to the team, not the one in control of the mission and the scene. In an interview, Emily revealed that Kate had made numerous attempts to reclaim her honour and her sense of existence in the group. However, all her well-intentioned and lawful actions had backfired, transforming into misguided attempts at exposure. Instead of achieving her goals, she ended up putting herself in embarrassing situations repeatedly.

Matt operates as a behind-the-scenes manipulator, adept at controlling a resentful wolf, and he strategically utilizes an innocent lamb to orchestrate the ultimate downfall of the drug cartel's leader. Josh Brolin, who plays Matt, once said, "This movie is about people's inner secrets. And what you have to do is seize everyone's secrets and use them for yourself. It's both anxiety-inducing and easy to get lost in."

The three main characters form a stable triangle. Matt is at the top, overseeing everything. Alejandro, the ruthless wolf, is at the bottom left, tearing apart the prey for him. And Kate, the pure-hearted FBI agent, is at the bottom right, ensuring that their actions are not hindered.

The film also intertwines a subplot about a Mexican family from the very beginning. A typical Mexican police officer, his mornings begin with a breakfast prepared by his wife. After finishing his meal, he takes his son to the soccer field before heading to work the night shift. He is determined to keep his son away from the rifle placed by his bedside. Three days later, the mother no longer waits for her husband's return. In the morning, she takes their child to the soccer field. Just before the child kicks the ball towards the goal, explosions and gunfire erupt in the distance. Everyone stops and looks towards the faraway source of commotion. After a brief pause, the children continue playing, but the mother continues to gaze into the distance before slowly looking away.

Perhaps what is depicted here is what the director referred to in interviews as the silent majority. They have no other choice but to prioritize their families in order to survive. There is no right or wrong, only the pursuit of survival. The plot and the director's masterful handling of it undeniably encapsulate the main theme of the entire film. It is not just a story about the war on drugs, a personal vendetta for revenge, or a ruthless means to eliminate bandits. It makes us ponder who we are fighting for, who we are crossing borders for, and who we are abandoning our principles for.

In this case, it is not justice that compromises, but rather human nature. The person who violates the law is questioned by the system, but he did something that cannot be done within the normal system. He eliminated the drug lord who, each day, shared dinner with his own family but callously took the lives of the wives and children of others. Even though Kate is filled with anger and raises her gun, she struggles to pull the trigger and shoot him, because, as he said earlier, "In the end, you will understand."

Perhaps, at the moment when Alejandro lost his family, he had already transformed into a wild wolf. In this land of tigers and wolves, he only sees prey and nothing else. Just like what the director, Denis, said, this film is about choices.

Some go for the all-in

Some chose to confront the realities

Some opt for the ultimate outcome