{"id":11212,"date":"2016-01-16T14:08:52","date_gmt":"2016-01-16T22:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=11212"},"modified":"2016-01-16T14:09:16","modified_gmt":"2016-01-16T22:09:16","slug":"review-sicario-bd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2016\/01\/review-sicario-bd\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Sicario BD + Screen Caps"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Sicario<\/em><\/strong> is one of the best movies of 2015 thanks to the direction, cinematography and Del Toro\u2019s brilliant performance which bizarrely was overlooked by the Academy. Beyond that, it\u2019s just a well paced thriller that never lets up yet still some nice character moments.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sicario<\/span>
\n(2015)<\/strong><\/p>\n


\nREVIEW NAVIGATION<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe Movie<\/a> | Special Features<\/a> | Video Quality<\/a> | Audio Quality<\/a> | Overall<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Genre(s): <\/strong>Crime, Drama, Thriller
\nLionsgate | R \u2013 121 min. \u2013 $39.99 | January 5, 2016<\/p>\n

Date Published:<\/strong> 01\/18\/2015 | Author:<\/strong> The Movieman
\n<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n		\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/u>MOVIE INFO:
\n<\/u>Directed by: <\/strong>Denis Villeneuve
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>Taylor Sheridan (written by)
\nCast: <\/strong>Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Victor Garber, Jon Bernthal, Daniel Kuluuya, Jeffrey Donovan<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/u>DISC INFO:
\n<\/u>Features: <\/strong>Featurettes
\nDigital Copy: <\/strong>Yes
\nFormats Included: <\/strong>Blu-ray, DVD
\nNumber of Discs: <\/strong>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Audio: <\/strong>English (Dolby Atmos\/TrueHD 7.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
\nVideo: <\/strong>1080p\/Widescreen 2.40
\nSubtitles: <\/strong>English SDH, English, Spanish
\nDisc Size: <\/strong>45.6 GB
\nCodec: <\/strong>MPEG-4 AVC
\nRegion(s): <\/strong>A<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

THE MOVIE<\/strong> \u2013 4.5\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Denis Villeneuve directed Prisoners<\/em>, a bleak, haunting yet all around suspense-filled 2013 drama starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal and now he\u2019s back and somehow managed to surpass it with Sicario<\/em><\/strong>. He also re-teams with cinematographer Roger Deakins who presents brilliant, gallery-worthy, photography\/shots.<\/p>\n

Note: <\/strong>This review contains SPOILERS<\/strong> pertaining to the plot. READER BEWARE!<\/strong><\/p>\n

The movie focuses primarily on Kate Macer (EMILY BLUNT), an idealistic (na\u00efve) FBI Agent who, when the film opens, leads a unit on a raid of a home suspected of holding hostages. Upon entry, she nearly gets her head blown off with a shotgun but manages to duck and take out the shooter. The subsequent shot put a hole in the wall and the discovery of a body and when other walls were removed, crawl and attic spaces inspected, all told over 40 bodies were discovered. A shed outside is searched by two cops who trip a booby trap which explodes, killing the two of them and nearly taking out Kate\u2019s partner, Reggie Wayne (DANIEL KALUUYA).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The aftermath finds Macer, at the recommendation of her boss, Dave Jennings (VICTOR GARBER), to work with a task force led by Matt Graver (JOSH BROLIN), a CIA spook working under the Department of Defense in charge of, with the help of members of elite Delta Force soldiers, relocating Guillermo Diaz, brother of one of the men responsible for the deaths of the bodies found in the house. Also part of the team is the mysterious Alejandro (BENICIO DEL TORO) who works with Matt in this endeavor.<\/p>\n

Their mission takes them across the border to Juarez, Mexico, with the Mexican Federales serving as escorts through torched territory where gang fights run amok, the police are corrupt and even bodies, missing limbs, hang from bridges. They transfer Guillermo and after a brief tense moment, where gun-toting gangsters await, travel back to Arizona and Guillermo is taken to a holding cell to be, ahem, \u201cinterrogated\u201d by Alejandro for information leading to the location of his brother, a hitman for the cartel, Manuel Diaz (BERNARDO SARACINO). This is all part of an elaborate plan to cause chaos in the drug trade which sets off more turmoil in the already volatile Juarez.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sicario<\/em><\/strong> actually has a rather simple plot and there is a mild twist but the movie is more about the tension and, in large part, Kate and Alejandro, two characters with drastic different viewpoints of the world, one far more idealistic while the other is a pragmatist. Beyond that, Benicio Del Toro once again turns in a phenomenal performance, one that stunningly did not turn into an Oscar nomination further cementing in my mind, and I suspect the majority out there, the Academy\u2019s irrelevance and continued deterioration.<\/p>\n

For Emily Blunt, she isn\u2019t bad though her character was a bit annoying as she\u2019s far too na\u00efve and frankly, a tad dumb in some of her decisions (such as confronting CIA spook Graver in the middle of the desert). That said, the character still has a purpose. Similarly, Josh Brolin seems to be stronger than ever, between this and Everest<\/em> (and has Hail, Caesar!<\/em> coming out soon), and he plays the CIA rep very well without going over-the-top.<\/p>\n

The other standout is the direction by Denis Villeneuve in conjunction with Roger Deakins\u2019 brilliant cinematography which showcases some utterly gritty yet beautiful photography. It\u2019s something to behold and shows just what a talent Deakins is and how he can turn what, in simpler hands, could\u2019ve been a simplistic story into something more grand and effective in its harrowing story and characters.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think Sicario<\/em><\/strong> is a perfect movie nor as expansive in scope as something like Traffic<\/em>, which itself thrived on Soderbergh\u2019s style, yet this film still sores with some solid performances, amazing direction and an overall haunting center that it makes it stand out from the rest.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 2.25\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

This release comes with a matted slip cover<\/strong>. Inside is a standard DVD Copy<\/u><\/strong> and a redemption code for the Digital HD<\/u><\/strong> copy.<\/p>\n

Stepping Into Darkness: The Visual Design of Sicario<\/em> (16:46; HD)<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 This looks at the shooting locations, set designs, storyboards, director\u2019s approach to filming, etc. There are interviews with Denis Villeneuve, Roger Deakins and others.<\/p>\n

Blunt, Brolin & Benicio: Portraying the Characters of Sicario<\/em> (14:35; HD)<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 We get to hear from the actors as the talk about the characters they play, the plot and what drew them to the roles.<\/p>\n

A Pulse from the Desert: The Score of Sicario<\/em> (6:19; HD)<\/u><\/strong> \u2014 Filmmakers and the composer, Johann Johannsson, talk about the approach to the unique score used in the film.<\/p>\n

Battle Zone: The Origins of Sicario<\/em> (13:45; HD)<\/u><\/strong> looks at how the script and all around story behind the movie came to be.<\/p>\n

Previews<\/strong> \u2013 The Last Witch Hunter<\/em>, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2<\/em>, Heist<\/a><\/em>, Mississippi Grind<\/a><\/em>, The Hurt Locker<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

VIDEO \u2013 4.75\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Lionsgate releases Sicario<\/em><\/strong> onto Blu-ray presented in its original 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer (MPEG-4 AVC codec). As one would imagine, and expect, this looks brilliant thanks to Deakins\u2019 visual eye, taking advantage of the aerial shots and the more visceral scenes such as the soldiers readying for a mission into the tunnels. Detail throughout is sharp and colors generally are bright while still keeping the darker, more gritty, undertone of the story. The transfer also is nice and clean, free of artifacts and aliasing, making for stark-looking black levels, though I did notice some minor amounts of banding, so there were some transition issues, however, they are minor.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

AUDIO \u2013 5.0\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

The film received the new(er) Dolby Atmos track, decoding to TrueHD 7.1 for older receivers, and unsurprisingly, it\u2019s an incredible aural experience. This is a rather good movie to show off one\u2019s system as there is a wide range from the quieter, dialogue-driven, moments, to some action-centric scenes which gives the track some amazing depth. Also, J\u00f3hann J\u00f3hannsson\u2019s score permeates the track with incredible force further intensifying the already suspense-filled film.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
\n<\/a>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

OVERALL \u2013 4.5\/5<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Overall, Sicario<\/em><\/strong> is one of the best movies of 2015 thanks to the direction, cinematography and Del Toro\u2019s brilliant performance which bizarrely was overlooked by the Academy. Beyond that, it\u2019s just a well paced thriller that never lets up yet still some nice character moments. The Blu-ray released by Universal offers reference quality video and audio and an OK selection of bonus material, though a more comprehensive making-of, and audio commentary, would\u2019ve helped.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers<\/strong>.
\nThese are only here to give an idea of the movie\u2019s video quality and may not be truly representative of it.<\/p>\n