Sicario is a somber, nail-biter of a film. What is said is as equally important as what is not said. What is said may not be the truth. What is said may be only partially true or completely false. The film begins by informing the audience the word "Sicario" means Assassin. So? What does this have to do with anything?

Sicario starts off with a bang, quite literally. FBI Agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) and her team raid a drug-runner's staging area somewhere in the U.S. desert. The mission is successful until two agents enter a shed. The shed explodes.

Macer and her partner Ted (Jon Bernthal) are summoned to a debriefing. Instead, they look into a meeting taking place in a glass conference room. Macer's superior officer Dave Jennings (Victor Garber) is present. The other men in the room are speaking with Jennings except for one strange man who appears disinterested.

Only Macer is allowed into the conference room. Suspicions arise quickly. Macer is recruited for a joint task force between the FBI and the CIA. The drug lord responsible for the agents killed in the explosion is also on the CIA's wanted list. The CIA cannot operate on U.S. territories unless accompanied by an FBI agent. Macer has been selected to represent the FBI.

Macer will be working with Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and his partner Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro). Graver is polite, friendly and optimistic about the success of the mission. Besides that cover, Graver is very secretive on the mission. People assigned to the task force will only know what they need to know. Nothing more. The particulars will be divulged at the proper moment at the proper time.

The suspense slowly grows for Macer. Jennings won't tell her anything. Graver won't tell her anything. Alejandro is an enigma. Alejandro gets along quite well with Graver. He is distant with everyone else. Alejandro only speaks when he has something to say. Stranger still, while Alejandro will be accompanying Graver's task force, he isn't part of it. Who is he and why is he here. The questions mount.

Emily Blunt is superb as Kate Macer. She has a sadness to her eyes. It is a look that has seen too many bad things happen for one so young. Blunt keeps an outward steady, calm demeanor for Macer when she is in public. Alone, the strain of the mission weighs heavily on her. Her mission is to go where she knows not, do what she knows not and for a why that she knows not. Blunt is excellent depicting Macer's growing suspicions. Is the mission legitimate? Is is illegal? Does Jennings knows this and sends her anyway? Why her in the first place? Is Macer assisting the task force or the scapegoat if things go awry?

Macer is not an idiot. Macer is strong-willed and independent. She is clearly annoyed at being treated like a child and given no knowledge or responsibility on the mission. If no one is going to answer her questions, Macer will find someone, anyone who will. Ted begins secretly investigating Graver. Macer jeopardizes everything trying to learn the truth. Some things are better off not knowing.

Much of Sicario is silent. Blunt uses facial expressions and subtle gestures to display what Macer is feeling: Suspicious, fear, distrust, frustration, anger, and helplessness.

Josh Brolin is very good as Graver. He seems fair but feels foul. After spending time with Graver, Macer doubts what is the truth that Graver tells her. Graver comes off as friendly when discussing small matters. He is secretive, elusive and misleading on the specifics. Graver may claim he is acting for the security of the mission. Is there something else going on behind the scenes? Is everything a cover for something much more sinister?

Benicio Del Toro is scary! Alejandro takes elusive and secretive to a new level. He is friendly to Macer. He actually talks to her, giving her advice. He doesn't nor will he ever reveal anything personally about himself. Who he is, what he is, and especially why he is where he is remains a mystery. The more Macer learns about Alejandro, the scarier Del Toro becomes. He is a subtle actor who lets the menace build slowly, nerve-wracking slowly. The final resolution between Alejandro and Macer leaves her, and the audience, totally shocked and stunned by exactly what he is capable of doing.

Director Denis Villeneuve and cinematographer Roger Deakins tell much of Sicario through visuals. Long stretches of the film are silent. In one shot, a task force decked out with night-vision goggles slowly descends a hill as dusk. The sunset before them is spectacular. As the men descend, they slowly disappear into the landscape like ghosts. They were never there.

The central sequence in Sicario involves the extraction from Mexico of a high-ranking member of the drug cartel. Mexican officials turn the man over to the custody of U.S. Marshalls. Graver is there for support. Everyone knows the drug lord will stop at nothing to execute the man in custody. Denis Villeneuve slowly ramps up the suspense. There will be an attack. When, where and how is the question.

The attack starts slowly. A man gets out of a car while stuck in traffic. Is he a gunman or just a pedestrian stretching his legs? Meanwhile, Macer is ordered to take no action. Leave it to the professionals. Macer espies a possible gunman. No one else sees him approach. Villeneuve visually shows Macer's concern and growing apprehension. Dies she sit quietly hoping someone else sees the man? Does she do the right thing by doing the wrong thing.

Sicario eventually reveals the meaning of the title. The revelation is shocking, frightening and nasty. A person who has lost everything has nothing to live for. This is business. This is not personal. Revenge is not an option. Cold-blooded killing is all that matters.

Sicario is an amazing film on every level. The story is great! The suspense is so thick and heavy it cannot be cut with a broad sword. The acting of Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro is amazing. 'Now you're getting nasty' is an understatement.

Enjoy... if you can!