Vivid imagery and emotive sound combine with a trio of intense performances and a taught script to form a cerebral action-thriller that narrowly misses greatness. Emily Blunt owns the movie as Kate Macer, an FBI agent brought onto an elite task force dealing with Mexican drug cartels. And stealing the movie from her is Benicio del Toro as mysterious hired gun, Alejandro, in a role that seems primed for award season. Liaising between these two is Josh Brolin as the equally shadowy, far more chilled-out leader of the unit. Director Denis Villeneuve ratchets up suspense throughout, but also cloaks the proceedings in a persistent sense of dread, at times undercutting narrative tension. Given the top-tier quality of so many attributes of the film, Sicario impresses, if it doesn't quite equal the sum of its parts.

The action sequences, including an opening FBI raid on a cartel stash house, a mid-highway standoff at the US border, and a stealth attack by night, are convincingly staged. However, Villeneuve and expert cinematographer Roger Deakins exercise so much restraint in what's shown that these set pieces feel oddly muted. Indeed, the filmmakers' focus is on capturing the pressure of the moments leading up to chaotic violence, which works admirably, but results in a banal detachment to what might have been standout action scenes, as set up adeptly by the screenplay. Still, the images that are displayed, from hypnotic desert flyovers to black-and-white thermal vision, are reliably well-composed.

With its cast in top form, and several technical highlights, Sicario delivers a sobering look at the quagmire that is the US government's war on drugs. The film keeps its audience as much in the dark as Kate is, as we sift through secrecy only to realize that American demand drives the entire process. While Villeneuve may have missed the opportunity to make a truly gripping film due to the somewhat methodical pacing, he offers a clear-eyed vision of a situation beyond repair. More than a message movie, though, this is Kate's struggle to grasp the depths of human evil, as Alejandro targets its most glaring practitioners.

Final Grade: B+ | 89/100 | ★★★½