We don’t say that lightly.
There are just so many fantastic elements of this movie coming together, that it couldn’t be anything other than brilliant.
Before moving on to the envelope pushing sci-fi of Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, director Denis Villeneuve had previously given us the fantastic kidnap thriller Prisoners and psychological, existential horror Enemy.
It would be the screenwriting debut of Taylor Sheridan, before he moved on to the equally fantastic likes of Hell or High Water and Wind River.
Cinematographer Roger Deakins and composer Jóhann Jóhannsson combined their powers to create an overwhelming sense of dread and horror that, in other hands, might have just been another run-of-the-mill procedural.
And, of course, there was the trio of Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin in the lead roles, all bringing shades of grey to the scorched story of federal agents attempting to bring down a drug cartel on the Mexican border, crossing all kinds of lines to get the job done.
Welcome to Sicario.
The movie truly is one of the greatest thrillers ever made, which is why the producers have followed through with the upcoming sequel Soldado, due to arrive in cinemas on 29 June this year.
Sicario is on Channel 4 tonight at 9pm.
