How Sicario Fools its Audience 

Don't forget, the original screenplay made it clear Alejandro is the main protagonist, including his voiceover, but Del Toro and Villeneuve agreed to strip 90% of his dialogue to make Alejandro more enigmatic. I get the feeling if Taylor Sheridan's original script had been untouched, this movie wouldn't have been the masterpiece it became.

Definitely a low key horror movie. The fact that it's everything seen in the movie happens in real life, it makes it all the more terrifying

When I was watching it, it felt like I was being managed like a CIA asset where you only get told the lies that make you do/think what you are expected to do/think. That was the point of telling the story this way. I loved it.

The musical score is INCREDIBLE. I remember watching this in the cinema and the world that was presented on the screen sounded like it was about to break open and swallow its inhabitants. I own the soundtrack on compact disc. It's a masterpiece.

One detail that I also love about Sicario is Kate's shirt. In the beginning it's light blue, but as the film goes along it gets paler and paler until the end when it's a washed-out dull white. This mirrors her gradual loss of moral certainty. Brilliantly subtle.

Denis Villeneuve is an exceptional filmmaker. Dune, Prisoners, Sicario and Arrival are amongst my favourite movies from the last decade.

Kate's other role in the film was really to be a moral compass, she was there to constantly remind viewers that lot of what the "good" guys were doing was actually morally wrong. She also showed the flaws on how hard it is to achieve anything productive when you faithfully play by all the rules against an adversary who breaks them constantly. But more to the point because she sets the moral scale for the viewers when Alejandro finally does get his revenge on Alarcon, the viewers aren't left cheering or any sort of real catharsis. We literally see Alejandro gun down Alarcon's wife and kids in cold blood right in front of the man and wait just a few seconds long enough for Alarcon to feel the pain and horror of such a sudden violent loss as he had made Alejandro feel in the past, before Alejandro finally shoots him and settles the score. I did appreciate the unflinching brutality of the act of revenge in the film, its painted in a far more grim and numb light then what we often get from revenge stories where the act is portrayed as triumph worthy of applause. The fact that when he had finally achieve his goal, Alejandro just seemed indifferent to it, almost as if the mental and emotional price he had to pay to make to that point was so high he had nothing else to give when it was done. Sicario is an overlooked and sadly misunderstood gem, but I am glad that I'm not the only 1 out there who appreciates it.

Kate's use as "the audience" is brilliant in a unique way, and I don't think I've ever seen a movie do it this way.

the rug really tied the room together

This is a criminally underappreciated video essay.

Best quote ever. "ahhh your asking me how a watch works." For now let's just keep an eye on the time. 🥶

An important theme throughout the film is that people are being used to push selfish or personal gains. Kate is LITERALLY being used by the narrative framing to tell Alejandro's story, just like Kate is being used to legalize the raids their doing in Juarez

RIP Johan Johansson, his score for this film is absolutely incredible. Great essay!

One small correction: Kate knows what cartel do. She saw bodies in the beginning of the film, and the explosion. She knows what evil she is fighting, but does not know or understand the goals and methods of Matt and Alejandro

The end scene with Alejandro is the coldest thing I’ve ever seen in an action movie. And I love the teaser they give you about what he went through when he’s on the jet to Juarez with Kate and Matt and he’s asleep, then out of nowhere he jumps up from a bad dream and goes to stab someone but nobody is there. The minute I saw that I knew he was a straight killer.

It's a piece of art that I enjoy watching over and over again, it's tense, it's scary, it's confusing, it's violent, it's unforgiven, like los carteles.

Great movie and great performances. When Benicio Del Toro read the script, he demanded LESS dialogue for his character. Because he wanted to be a mysterious, brooding presence in the background of the earlier scenes.

One of my favorite movies ever, from the story, to the cast, to the incredible realism. It's a masterpiece!

Sicario: One of the great scripts and castings that I’ve seen. The sense of authenticity is utterly breathtaking. Thanks for paying homage to a truly intelligent script.

stumbled across this video, and I had never seen Sicario, even though i remembered wanting to see it. After watching the first 30s of the video, I stopped, watched the film, & came back to finish & very glad I didn't spoil anything for myself by watching this prior. Excellent film & very good breakdown.

I think Sicario is one of the best movies I've ever seen. I kept being uncertain but when Alehandro does the taxi driver at the end I figured it out. Absolutely stunning.

The narrative twist addressed here is just one of it's handles. The shocking violence, made so credible, is another distraction from the focus, the protagonist and intelligence hiding in the depths, driving the plan. Your analysis is very good. Clever storytelling, very clever. The sequel was just as good. Thank you

This is like the 5th Sicario film analysis i've watched and every time they bring up something interesting again. Well done.

I absolutely love this film The way they keep the audience and Kate in the dark so overtly adds a great sense of authenticity.

This is an awesome essay and didn’t ever think of it from this perspective. Kinda sad this is over 3 years old and no other essays have been done on this channel.

Dear Hollywood, Please make a Part 3 to this phenomenal series!

Have watched that film a number of times. Never appreciated the perspective subtleties, until I saw this presentation you put together. Thanks. Enjoyed your work.

Man. Watching this video essay makes me want to watch Sicario I and II again. A video essay, made by this channel, for Sicario II would be excellent. Well done 👍

This is why the second one is just an action movie. Sort of the difference between Alien and Aliens.

Taylor Sheridan script, Villeneuve as a director, Deakins as a DOP + A list casting. Hard to assemble a better cocktail for making one of the best modern western.

whew, i needed that... i had no idea... i knew something was up but couldn't see it. Thank you!

It's one of those films that you can watch over and over again. And that background sound track is everywhere at all times and it puts you on edge; it gives you a feeling of apprehension and dread.

Could you please make a video on The Usual Suspects? It’s a great example on how a movie fools it’s viewers.

It’s sad this channel doesn’t have more content.. so well made and insightful.

This was the best breakdown of this great film by far! I hope you return to breakdown the sequel.

Great vid, I have always enjoyed/rated this film but never realised just *why* it delivers so well.

I've seen Sicario a bunch of times, and it's found it's way into my top ten. It has everything I want in a movie. Great video by FTP.

Saw complaints about Kate being useless and powerelss and im like.... yeh... that was the whole point. Criticisms against emily blunts acting I wont stand for though, she was awesome

Don't forget Kate's inspiration was revenge too. Her team took a big hit at the very beginning of the movie during their so called "raid". The backyard explosion was a booby trapped tunnel door. Intertwined and motivated to seek the source. You've picked one of the best movies ever made to show the results of a great screen play. A new mold was cut with this movie in the arena of realness. Jack Reacher series also does a great effort in the area of realness. Real men skilled and aware of their real task in life are the scariest beings on earth. Why? They can emotionally shut down to focus on their focused obligation without the side affect of fear or intimidation. You won't ever change them. You can only kill them, be killed by them or get out of their way altogether.

I never understood why I found this movie so addicting and engaging. You framed it perfectly - thanks!

I'm floored. I could see something but didn't pay attention enough to understand what I was seeing. Really appreciate this film like few others. Thanks for the excellent content that I didn't even know I needed. LOL, and I just noticed this is 3 years old. The Internet and YT are surreal.

Wish you hadn’t given up making videos. This was one of the better film essays I’d ever seen on RU-vid

That was a real interesting analysis. It really helps to have seen the film a couple of times first, I really enjoyed your video. Puts the film in a new light for me.

One of the best film reviews and breakdown ! Thank you for that quote , I found your channel im subscribed now

Outstanding story analysis! Keep ‘em coming!

One of my fave movies….. great cast and many twists & turns. I traveled once into Juarez for an overnight on way to west coast. I arrived just after sundown and knew of Juarez’ rep. I got lost….scary but the people I had contact with helped me without reservations. A highlight of my trip

The way you talk is soulfood. Thanks brother. ❤️

An excellent and thoughtful exposition--thank you for taking the time. What you say is given away by the title itself, yet the naive viewer accepts that it is Kate's story. The obvious isn't always so obvious.

Please keep making videos! Your content was great, especially for such a small channel.

Well done video essay my friend, looking forward to more! I gotta go back and watch Sicario now lol!

I was given the impression, when I first watched the movie, that it was a gem but could never nail down why. You feel fully engrossed in the film and its characters. You are right there with them, not just spectating. This essay explains exactly as to why.

This is one of my favorite movies ever, and you manage to make it more meaningful in cinema. Very interesting take on the film. kudos!

Amazing breakdown! Loved the movie before, and this made me want to rewatch it. You should do more of these videos!

The score "The Beast" reminds me of the score from Jaws. This low, slow, rhythmic bass that does a great job of making you imagine something terrible hidden just out of sight.

I adore this series to be honest. The first one is sooooo immersive. I feel there, Blunt Brolin and Del Toro are masters.

The narration of this video was exceptionally well done.....thank you.

This video deserves more attention than its getting.

Brilliant video. I never considered this until the second movie came out and Kate wasn’t in it. Looking forward to more of your work. 🥃

This is an excellent analysis. Conveys the message without any spoilers for those who haven't seen the movie, that's very hard to do.

Very well done. One of my favorite movies and I have never thought of it this way.

Now, nearly ten years on, this may be one of the most important pieces of American cinema in the last 50 years. This movie, through its story, perfectly encapsulates the transformation that occurred in America in roughly the 20 years following the 9/11 attacks. The American people, like Kate, believed it was their story, but it was actually the story of plausible deniability and extrajudicial action, under the globe-spanning aegis of anti-terrorism, and the subsequent deployment of the tools of that trade deployed against the American people themselves. The fact that this film was made by Denis Villeneuve and shot by Roger Deakins makes it a once in a lifetime syzygy of talent, and sociopolitical zeitgeist. This was a masterful analysis, great video.

Great job sorting out the perspectives. Of the dozens of films I have seen over the years, Sicario makes the select list of the films I would watch over and over again. A sample from my list includes The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Jeremiah Johnson, Bullitt, Runaway Train, The Hunt for Red October, etc. No slight intended for works not listed.

Well done. It wouldn’t be a Villeneuve film if it wasn't about somebody (or something) other than what you're led to think it is: "Incendies", "Prisoners" and "Enemy" (before "Sicario"), then "Arrival", "Bladerunner 2049"... and now "Dune".

A GREAT analysis of this great movie! I wish I had written it. Bravo.

Great analysis! This is one of my favourite movies. The atmospheric sounds are so fantastic in this movie. There is a sense of dread throughout. Kate is living in a completely different world from the one she knows. She wouldn't let down her moral conviction, so she could never realistically function as a soldier. A lamb among wolves.

Brilliant analysis of a subtly brilliant plot. Thanks for your time and efforts on a thoroughly entertaining and informative video. Cheers. P.S. You have earnt a sub.

Loved it, man. Want more.

Benicio Del Toro is easily one of the best actors ever to appear on screen, he's like King Midas, everything that he touch turns to gold.

that was really insightful thanks for posting.

An eloquent explanation. I appreciate your take on the film.

This was only movie in last 15 years that shows what happens to a woman in a world where hand to hand fighting is still a pliable trade. She gets beat up, she loses…she has a moment where she realizes that her world and expectations are naive and the reality is more darker than imagined.

Shout out to Screenwriter Taylor Sheridan for an outstanding job on this (and the sequel) The man is a BEAST! That said, I *did* enjoy Soldado, not as much as this. The difference I think is down to being between a great script in the hands of a bona fide genius like Denis, versus a solid (but unremarkable one) like Stefano Sollima. Not a slight to Stefano, but there's only one Denis ... as evidenced by his masterpiece of BR2049 and now Dune. He is currently without peer, except perhaps for Chris Nolan.

Great content on this channel, it’s sad that there’s no new content in 3 years

What an exceptionally well done video. Really, really good stuff.

A brilliant breakdown. And Taylor Sherrdan is a pretty damn good writer. As we have all found out with the behemoth that is Yellowstone and all the spin offs. Thank you for the video.

Do one drive(2011). The cinematography, editing, music and directing are some of the best I have ever seen for any movie.

its so true, it how individuals understand who they have become, turned into, and others perceptions/understanding. if you dont understand who you may have become (how changed) you are lacking in the direction you may have changed

Great explanation, let's me see the film in a way I haven't before. Thank you!

Very interesting. I’ve always loved Sicario but thought it didn’t have much of a story. Seeing it from this perspective makes sense … it just wasn’t HER story. I would argue that maybe she’s the antagonist. His goal is to get revenge and help take the cartel down and she’s the one to potentially stand in his way with her allegiance to the rules.

Dude how do you not have more subscribers?

Great Analysis. I worked on the set and appear briefly in the film, This feeling was always present. Thank you

This was an excellent breakdown! I loved the movie but had no idea why the perspective shift til now!

I watched this movie again last night and I loved it had you questioning things. I love Benecio's and Josh's characters, I hope there is a third one once Dune wraps up to pick up on the ending of the the last film.

This movie got me to play Ghost Recon Wildlands.. The final boss, although not in the game for like 99% of the time, his presence is all over the world the game is set in. Underrated movie (series).

Damn, wish you would have made more of these... Excellent breakdown.

Kate is the only one changed by the end. So, like Michael is The Godfather, Kate is the protagonist. She is broken by her exposure to the “real” world of the drug war.

The sub-plot of the Mexican policeman was also exceptional.

There is something so satisfying about being given the story through the perspective of a side character. Its like having the reader of a book be present in the story themselves. They are there to witness the story, not influence it.

A beautiful well written,acted,scenery camera shots suspense and the musical score is masterfull,,,watched it in the cinema ...wow,,,

I see where you're coming with the argument, but it is totally possible to have more than one protagonist and to have one that's passive at that. It's a writing convention that says the audience needs to have an active - not a passive - protagonist. However, Kate brings the audience along on a trip into the heart of darkness, in a manner of speaking, into the land of wolves when she is not one. Indeed, Kate never truly "vanquishes" the "monster" or "bad guy" in this story, but her story is quite compelling regardless. If we were just left with Matt and Alejandro fighting the "bad guys", then the story would lose complexity; it would lose what's compelling about a character not well suited to abject cruelty and brutality finding herself in a place awash with both. So...I think this is really a story about both Kate and Alejandro, and it simply puts weight on Kate and not Alejandro.

Kate is the antagonist of this film for sure. She fights real change at every turn.

Good analysis love to see people being able to breakdown movies ...

i believe one of the things that makes this so good is that ive always thought about it as kind of mad max syndrome where things are merely happening around him case and point furiosa although we never get that pov swap i believe. predominantly through his movies he is merely a bystander that furthers the events going on around him. he did not start them but he will help finish them and move on. this is what i think is so interesting but in this case our "Max" is Alejandro, the movie is named Sicario he IS the Sicario so knowing this you can kind of see it coming that he is the protagonist but the pov choice was interesting, the switch is what i believe got everyone and then proppeled the film into greatness. its alot of show dont tell that i love and i believe your video hit the nail on the head as far as my opinion of the movie and what makes it so good. GREAT VIDEO!!!

This is a great video analysis. Thanks for posting this. That said, I'd like to disagree with you here. I do believe this is Kate's story, but the story is attempting to illuminate a larger principle - (1) be careful what you ask for and (2) if you're going to do something, do it with conviction. Kate did suffer a loss in the beginning of the film. She lost members of her team during the drug raid when the tool shed blew up. She's also suffered losses by not being able to keep up with the drug trade no matter what her team tried. Even the apparent success by doubling drug related arrests hasn't really changed anything. Act 2: She was given the opportunity to try to turn the tides of the drug war and she took it. The issue is she lacked conviction and she allowed a clouded sense of morality to affect her performance and ability to see the truth. Thus, the story switched and was overtaken by the character with clear conviction - Alejandro. Both Kate and Alejandro got what they wanted - death of the drug cartel leader, but because Kate lacked conviction, she blinked, hesitated, and got checked and beat down all throughout the film. She wanted to win the drug war and make a difference, but she wasn't willing to bend or change to do so. This movie shows parallel story arcs between two characters - Kate and Alejandro, neither one of which know exactly what's going on at every turn, but one character is ready when the opportunity presents itself and the other is hesitant and conflicted. Sicario shows the difference between conviction and cloudiness and how two characters handled adversity in a world of uncertainty. NOTE: The proof that Alejandro never really knew what was happening and wasn't in control was demonstrated in Sicario 2 where he became expendable by doing the same exact thing Kate did in Sicario. He hesistated and fell into a moral dilemma, which put his life in danger in the same way Kate's was in Sicario. Sicario 2 showed that Kate and Alejandro really aren't that different.

It's an under rated movie in my opinion. The story telling is outstanding. Villeneuve is fantastic. Excellent video my friend.

I was notified of video. Thanks

That was an excellent video. Hope you make more again.

Nicely done. Another thought to ponder though, a different channel posited that Kate is the antagonist of the story. The reasoning is interesting in that she's the only thing that gets in the way of the protagonist continually (meaning if you removed Kate from the story, he succeeds without any real challenges). BUT she's not the villain, that's the cartel. Thinking of it from this perspective is yields makes it pretty interesting from a writers perspective in terms of lessons to take. The movie is overall brilliantly done on all fronts, with my one critique being the fact that Kate is even in the story (from a movie / storytelling perspective it's great, but logically when you think about it, it doesn't make sense). Brolin's character says in the film they needed an FBI liaison to create a joint task force to allow the CIA to work on US soil. And since that is the only reason they picked Kate, why did they pick someone so obviously against what they're doing (I'm sure there are FBI agents that would have had zero issue with what they were doing)?? The whole thing is a black op in that the CIA is helping a non-US citizen assassinate the head of the cartel they want gone, so why do they even care about satisfying this rule so the CIA can work on US soil (especially since the target is in Mexico)? Kate's character was useless other than to provide a perspective for the audience, so she could be removed entirely and the mission would've succeeded regardless and nobody would know it was the CIA helping a foreign assassin. It was the fact that they even brought Kate into the fold that would expose them. I think they could've solved this by simply make Kate a piece of the puzzle in a more meaningful way, that she had some knowledge or expertise that was required in order to succeed, and she gives it reluctantly (or through cohersion like signing the paper in the end). But overall this is a minor quibble as the movie is so good you don't really think about this while watching it.

Kate is actually a protagonist and I would go so far as to say a type of villain

Yep, excellent analysis of a beautifully made film. Kate is ideal window through which to view this murky world and accompany the protagonist on his journey, never seeing the entirety, always piecing it together. I watch this film about once a year. Killer piece of entertainment: taut, absolutely credible, amazing performances, thick atmospherics, genius screenplay and DV orchestrating it all. Brilliant.