Sicario (2015) - Full Reaction
Added 2025-02-23 19:19:04 +0000 UTCWell wow, this was pretty dark and gritty, it felt very raw and very sad. I thought the main 3 performances were so well done. Although I was confused by some of the plot and objectives. The pacing and the way it was filmed kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time!
Comments
Yo ok yankie
VOCFM
2025-06-09 04:30:02 +0000 UTCNothing will make sense to your Canadian ears, Cassie. 🤣
John Cranberry
2025-02-28 12:18:43 +0000 UTCSoA is probably my favourite show watched it at least 5 times now and I never get bored of it.
Dean Holt
2025-02-27 22:56:50 +0000 UTCI don't think Carly would have liked it.
Clay F
2025-02-27 22:28:34 +0000 UTCwith Kate Winslet
Clay F
2025-02-27 22:27:03 +0000 UTCEven if already mentioned, a small but mighty romantic-ish film with Josh Brolin called Labor Day worth a watch I humbly recommend.
SpankTheMonk
2025-02-27 06:15:58 +0000 UTCIt was a good movie, first time I seen this one, I have been wanting to watch it, but had not.
John A
2025-02-27 05:10:50 +0000 UTCCassie I think you’ve got such a great eye for movie analysis now. I thought you unpacked your experience of the movie exactly how I believe the writers and director wanted you too. There is a second movie, but not directed by Denise V.
Brec Evans-Orrell
2025-02-27 01:46:45 +0000 UTC@Thoko "Hell or High Water" is excellent. I'd put it in the Should Have Gotten An Academy Award category. It's too bad that Cassie already saw it, but maybe we could get her to show it to Carly?
JAKH
2025-02-26 09:38:06 +0000 UTCWell said
Clay F
2025-02-26 08:06:38 +0000 UTCYep, a typical Hollywood take would've made Del toro the lead and the plot would be a paint by numbers revenge flick. Having this unfold from the perspective of someone who, at the end of the day, is completely irrelevant to the story, is a genius story telling choice honestly. It gives the movie a much more mysterious vibe to it which enhances the dark tone of the movie. Doing this also, more effectively shows us the ugliness of the machine, and how powerless we are to stop it. No matter how well intentioned Kate was, she was completely powerless the entire movie. And we the viewer, expecting her to be the hero of the story, felt absolutely powerless too when we realize towards the end that you can either be a part of the machine or not, but no matter what, you can do nothing to stop it.
shaneth138
2025-02-26 07:46:10 +0000 UTCImpossible. He didn’t write himself into this film as a cool sexy no nonsense cop
aarswft
2025-02-25 17:53:19 +0000 UTCI don’t think this is a very good movie for understanding Mexico or the cartels or the border but it is an excellent movie for understanding the imperial boomerang theory. The idea is when nations send their militaries abroad to oppress and subjugate other nations and commit all sorts of crimes and atrocities those crimes and atrocities will return to the homeland in the form of the politicians who get used to exercising power, and the soldiers and agents who become accustomed to violence. In the film Matt is a CIA agent who is taking the techniques used in Iraq and applying them in America and Mexico and in doing so he is abandoning the rule of law. The scene where Alejandro waterboards Guillermo while Matt watches happened in countless black sites where local assets from Egypt or Turkey or Libya tortured Iraqis and Afghanis under supervision of CIA handlers. Alejandro’s revenge story shows us the futility of revenge as the grieving father becomes the murderer of children. Alejandro will eventually become a more vicious cartel boss than the ones he has killed and turn against the US just as American proxies in the Middle East turn into the very terrorists the wars were meant to eradicate. Reggie several times warn Kate that he saw guys like Matt in Afghanistan. At least one of the Delta guys in the Juarez scene has recently been released from jail for unspecified crimes. Even the title Sicario invokes anti-imperial violence. Anyway, I love this movie. I love the soundtrack, I love the scene on the bridge, I love the dialogue and all the desert landscapes but Matt and Alejandro are absolutely the villains.
Jacob King
2025-02-25 13:21:38 +0000 UTCWould love to see her react to "Sons of Anarchy" - such a great show
JarHead0351
2025-02-25 06:54:21 +0000 UTCI don't want Carly because with Cassie they talk too much IMO. If it is a crappy movie, I don't care so much, but I hate it when people talk too much during a great movie and miss pivotal dialogue. So, glad Cassie was alone, she remains focused that way and we get a great reaction.
John Cranberry
2025-02-25 06:35:25 +0000 UTCPolitics is complicated. I mean, right now in real life the US is supportive of the new leaders of Syria even though they are literally a branch of Al Qaeda.
Thoko
2025-02-25 05:37:27 +0000 UTCFor me, Jon Bernthal is always "the guy from the walking dead"
Thoko
2025-02-25 05:34:22 +0000 UTCIts hard to predict what Carly would like. I mean, Gladiator has the kind of violence Carly often doesn't enjoy, yet she says she loved that movie
Thoko
2025-02-25 05:31:07 +0000 UTCWind River has been on a few polls if I remember correctly. Sadly it hasn't even come close to winning. Just don't think many people have seen it, so it never does well.
Aaron Mann
2025-02-25 05:04:05 +0000 UTCI just watched a murder interrogation on YouTube and something like this came up. The guy didn't have time to bury the body properly so he wrapped the body in plastic to avoid the smell getting out and the cop commented that this action would also have preserved the body. So that implies a lack of maggots etc. In the film, they used plastic bags so its kinda the same thing. I think the advantage of using the walls, is that if police know that its your house, they might have spy cameras outside that see a lot of burying of large objects and they could get a warrant
Thoko
2025-02-25 04:18:14 +0000 UTCOk. I guess I will have to watch those too, because the writing on this film was extraordinary. Brilliant dialogue, and everything else.
Thoko
2025-02-25 04:14:09 +0000 UTCHaha, now I feel like I have to watch that movie and the reaction just so that I can understand the context of whatever the heck you just said. Sounds interesting
Thoko
2025-02-25 04:12:41 +0000 UTCYAAAAAAAS
Thoko
2025-02-25 04:11:23 +0000 UTCI agree that Kate represents some of us, but not all of us. There's an awful lot of people who are happy to turn a blind eye and even vote for everything that is wrong with the world.
Thoko
2025-02-25 04:10:27 +0000 UTCYou think Carly would've liked it?
Chris Thom
2025-02-25 03:48:52 +0000 UTCOhhh he's French Canadian. That kind of makes sense. Seen three or four of those Cirque shows in Vegas. They have some really creative, visual story tellers up there.
Chris Thom
2025-02-25 03:45:08 +0000 UTCA big +1 for "Narcos: Mexico" (2018) (3 seasons) starring Diego Luna
Clay F
2025-02-25 03:23:52 +0000 UTC"Don't who the good guys are, or who the bad guys are..." Yep, that pretty much sums this up. Yes, what the CIA did was sanctioned by elected officials who wanted this to happen. But also, yes, it's illegal. They killed people on foreign soil without proper procedure, or due process. And no, Kate didn't want the bad guys to be killed...well, maybe deep down she did. She uncovered 42 dead bodies, and lost 2 of her own. But Kate's a good, moral person. She wanted the people involved to be brought to justice. And instead, one cartel is being traded for another, so that the elected officials, and the CIA, can have better control of the situation. Or so they...say? Believe? Think? Kate's us in this movie...more or less a passenger, watching as everybody else does very bad things...and realizes she doesn't really have the power to stop them. Spectacular movie. Good stuff.
Steve Mercier
2025-02-25 00:27:17 +0000 UTCLol, I wasn't calling you out, my grandmother was from Colombia, so I notice it often. Maybe it's because there are many cities in the U.S. spelled with a U not an O. And of course there is Columbia University in NY.
Mark T
2025-02-24 20:02:47 +0000 UTCI don't know... I think you've got it covered, Carol. Any other tips? 🧐 Asking for a friend...
Brett Richey
2025-02-24 19:39:43 +0000 UTCI would think the top 20 would have many more requests. Makes me wonder if a very low % of patrons even use the app.
Joe
2025-02-24 17:58:19 +0000 UTCI would very much like to see Cassie react to the series' "Narcos" (2015) and "Narcos: Mexico" (2018)
JAKH
2025-02-24 16:48:38 +0000 UTCWhen I compare Cassie’s reaction to Sicario and My Fair Lady, I absolutely believe that Heath Ledger’s character the Joker was right. Border violence is bad; but not nearly as Horrific as an Educated Man telling a Dirty Beautiful Woman that she is a Dragontailed Gutter Rat.
Uncle Phoenix
2025-02-24 16:44:25 +0000 UTCThe writer Taylor Sheridan also wrote "Hell or High Water" and "Yellowstone" and was Deputy Hale on "Sons of Anarchy"
JAKH
2025-02-24 16:43:06 +0000 UTC@Bob, Here's a list of countries where alcohol is illegal Bangladesh Afghanistan Yemen Saudi Arabia Somalia Libya Mauritania Kuwait Now if alcohol is destructive to the economy & society, surely these nations should be racing ahead in life without the impediment of alcohol right?
Milton William Burray
2025-02-24 14:50:42 +0000 UTCPretty sure that's accurate.
JohnnyUtah
2025-02-24 14:46:53 +0000 UTC@Bob Do you live in a city of high drug use? Do you actually think American cities that are soft-on-drugs have improved as a result? San Francisco, Portland, L.A, Philly? Cities where alcohol use is common are able to be civilized and prosperous, can the same be said if it's full of crackheads? People talk about how awful life was in segregated areas of the US during Jim Crow, I cannot imagine any of them looked as bad as Kensington Avenue in 2025 The reason prohibition wasn't required in the 19th century is society was much stricter and involved. If a dope peddler was selling drugs to peoples kids at that time the men from the community would simply string him up from a tree, and the police couldn't care less Americans like saying 'Europe is more liberal than America so we should be too' - but it's almost always a fallacy • On average, 18% of European students have used an illegal drug at least once, compared to 35% of students in the United States, second only to the Czech Republic (37%). • The United States and France rank joint second for marijuana consumption (31%). This is almost double the average result for European countries (16%). The Czech Republic posted the highest score (37%) and Moldova reported the lowest (4%). • Amphetamine usage is significantly higher in the United States (10%) compared to Europe (2% average). • Alongside Georgia and Ireland, the United States ranked highest for ecstasy consumption (4%). • Cocaine usage amongst American teenagers is around 3%. In Europe, on the other hand, it is around 2%. • Both the United States sample and European sample recorded an average of 1% prevalence for heroin consumption. Also these don't factor in prescription medication abuse, which is much higher in the USA where medicine is a commercial industry
Milton William Burray
2025-02-24 14:36:02 +0000 UTCI said this on a different post, I think I am a kindred spirit of your brother. This was my PAF selection for the first two goes around, and now Matt has got you watch this I have changed my choice. I can't watch this movie all the time as it is tough, but if it happens to one somewhere or someone wants to watch I won't turn it down. I think this is one of the best movies to come in the last 10 years or maybe even longer. The reason I gave for PAF was that it is one of the most intense movie viewing experiences I have had in a cinema. I lived and worked for short time in Northern California when this came out, and I had never heard of it but keep seeing trailers for it on commercial TV and YT, and the cast was great so I decided to give it a look. There was maybe 6 people in the theatre, so it was very quiet (very little crowd noise) and with the way the score works it was very tense in a darkened theatre and a big screen. The border crossing scene was very much the thing that stood out for me in that viewing tension wise. It is a visually stunning movie from the great Roger Deakins, who has done a bunch of great work that has been experienced on the channel, "1917", and "No Country For Old Men", with "Sicario" having a similar feel to the latter. The score is great and quite minimalist with it effectively acting like a heartbeat to ratchet up the tension, or very unsettling to make you feel like your stomach is churning... all of which make you feel uneasy as required, as there is very little music in between the tension to help you feel anything else. The acting is very good and not just from the folks at the top of the bill. Denis Villeneuve executed this very well. This was pretty much how I thought the reaction would, it is grim, dark, and a pretty unvarnished look at the drug trade. The dinner scene and "Silvio" were the places that might cause the most distress. You were following the plot okay Cassie, and you are right is is intentional trying to hide and confuse elements from you, as "Kate" is effectively the proxy for us the audience and so we learn what is really going on a the same time she does, and her also having a moral compass that is pretty much what most folks would have and having it challenged by other folks that she considers on her side and what she feels like is the right side of the situation to her. At it core it is about whether the ends justify the means, and what do you have to give up to support those means. "Kate" wants to go about in the way she feels is right, whereas "Matt" and "Alejandro" are more on the side of any means necessary because the other side is already that way. At the very end the football (soccer) game pretty much illustrates that these folks have to get on with their lives regardless of what is literally going on around them, but also the game itself (and I read this somewhere and I agree with it) is very much a metaphor for the drug trade itself... two sides fighting for power and dominance, and only stopping briefly when something big enough happens (the guns shots), and then shortly someone picks up the struggle for control and dominance again, all while there are bystanders watching it all play out (the crowd). So, even though "Alejandro" has disrupted the cartel for a short while, someone will fill that vacuum and the cycle will go around again. That line "You afraid of the dark?" that "Alejandro" throws out to "Reggie" seems a bit playful at that point of the movie, but it is low-key terrifying once you get to end and find out what he is capable of. On a lighter note, the "rude" Spec Ops leader for the tunnel op is also one of the Hotshot firefighters from "Only the Brave" with Josh Brolin.
Mojo One Thousand
2025-02-24 13:05:02 +0000 UTCOh shoot. I even thought double check your spelling. Skill issue on my part. Sorry. Power of the edit button. Fixed it!
Morgan A. Colbert
2025-02-24 12:47:49 +0000 UTCSo many great films have improbable things happen. It shouldn’t take away from how well done the film is. That gasp is more horrifying than any horror movie scene you can find.
Shehab Dawoud
2025-02-24 12:10:08 +0000 UTCBut her character being unaware of how that works is part of the point of selecting her... she worked kidnap response not narcotics, and had done that from the start of her FBI career, which is laid out in the high-level meeting where we first meet Brolin's character - he wanted someone that was malleable and big on questioning... which is why Kaluuya's character was left behind, he was a lawyer.
Mojo One Thousand
2025-02-24 12:05:58 +0000 UTCWhy the fuck would you ensconce dozens of dead bodies behind the drywall of a house? The place would reek to high heaven, not to mention the maggots, roaches, and vermin. You could, like, dig a hole, get some lime. Alternately you could go the Breaking Bad route and get some blue barrels. Maybe some of you have worked for drug cartels and can provide an explanation.
Carol_White
2025-02-24 12:05:46 +0000 UTCIt was meant to a trilogy, I think the third is in the works.
Mojo One Thousand
2025-02-24 11:59:21 +0000 UTCChris, I think "Prisoners" was his first Hollywood film, I may be wrong about that, but he also made a bunch back in Canada prior to working on Hollywood movies.
Mojo One Thousand
2025-02-24 11:55:57 +0000 UTCDaniel Kaluuya would also be familar from Marvel movies, particularly the "Black Panther" movies. A high percentage of this main cast has appeared in Marvel movies, with Emily Blunt being the only one of the main few folks. Kalyuua, Brolin, Del Toro, and Bernthal have been in Marvel properties. Even "Silvio" (Maximiliano Hernandez) is in a few, particularly "Captain America: The Winter Soldier".
Mojo One Thousand
2025-02-24 11:47:40 +0000 UTCSaving this for Friday night!!!!! 10/10 Film. So happy Cassie watched this alone. This movie demands her full attention.
John Cranberry
2025-02-24 09:38:36 +0000 UTC@Man she never once said her brother saw it on the list. Her brother straight out told her to watch it.
Philip Alan
2025-02-24 07:02:44 +0000 UTCJeffrey Donovan, I loved that show Burn Notice!
Mark T
2025-02-24 07:01:35 +0000 UTCNice summary, but why do so many people misspell Colombia? Lol
Mark T
2025-02-24 06:55:57 +0000 UTCKate believes she lives in a world where everything is black and white. I'm surprised she made it to the end. There is a part 2 to this movie, but I wouldn't recommend it; that's just my opinion, so please, no one beat me up over it.
Eddie Perkins
2025-02-24 06:46:14 +0000 UTCI love your Popcorn Picks of the Month, but I think the reason why Matt's picks score more views for you is because those films are generally outside your comfort zone, and are the reactions that really expand your perspectives and open your eyes, and your fan base really appreciate seeing you going through that experience & process (the shell-shock and confusion on your face at the end is a mirror reflection of what Kate must have gone through learning the hard realities of the drug trade). Sicario was a great pick, and you really nailed it when you remarked how there were very few clear "good guys". The whole situation involves so much grey area and moral complexity. To your questions, Alejandro was indeed a prosecutor, and following the murder of his family, the CIA snatched him up and trained him in interrogation (he waterboarded Guillermo to get info about the tunnel, and beat Ted bloody to get info on corrupt cartel-employed cops on the Phoenix PD force), infiltration, armed combat, and assassination. While CIA operating on domestic soil wasn't necessarily illegal because Kate as an FBI agent attached to the taskforce gave it the air of legitimacy, sending Alejandro to assassinate the head of a cartel and murder his family was very very not-by-the-book. The whole story revolved around the theme of making the moral/legal choices versus making the effective ones, even if those effective choices are illegal, immoral, and extremely brutal.
Paul Ark
2025-02-24 06:23:45 +0000 UTCSicario (2015) was #11 at popcornrequests with 84 requests.
Clay F
2025-02-24 05:37:33 +0000 UTCI could watch this movie every two weeks. It's that good.
SeanATX
2025-02-24 05:33:56 +0000 UTC@ 2-Can Raw data is all that’s needed. Alcohol is worse in every conceivable way. If you want to dig a little deeper, the Oxford Treatment Center ranks only heroin as a more addictive substance than alcohol. So, if alcohol causes more deaths, more economic and personal financial deprivation and is more addictive than any other drug besides heroin, why isn’t it illegal? And the reason is simple. It’s more popular. Allowing the second most addictive drug in the world to be legally consumed, while banning all the drugs that are less addictive and destructive, seems like poor public policy. But, it’s popular, so what the hell. Right? PS: In British Columbia, drugs were decriminalized several years ago. Per the New York Times, there were 45.7 deaths per 100,000 attributable to drugs in 2023. Per the CDC, there were 48 deaths per 100,000 attributable to alcohol in the same period. So, we have an idea what legalization would result in. And alcohol still kills more people than all other drugs combined.
Just Plain Bob
2025-02-24 05:22:34 +0000 UTCFirst, I’d point out that those same countries had no prohibition against drugs at the time. Second, I’d point out that their alcohol consumption was largely due to the untrustworthiness of the water supply in an era that preceded efficient plumbing and sewage systems. If you’re talking about more recent years, I’d point out that most European countries have far more liberal laws concerning drug use than we do. As for abstinence from alcohol, I rarely drink (I literally cannot remember the last time I drank, but know it was sometime before my grandmother passed away almost a decade ago). But that makes no difference in my opinion. I also don’t do motocross, but I wouldn’t imagine telling someone else they can’t because it’s too dangerous. Grown ups should decide for themselves what risks they want to take. Not the government or their busybody neighbors.
Just Plain Bob
2025-02-24 05:11:45 +0000 UTCYou’re talking raw numbers. We consume far more alcohol in this country than drugs. If the raw total for damage is only twice as bad as drugs, then that is a strong argument for alcohol over drugs. And a strong argument to treat drugs more harshly. We have some experiments in the states now where some have legalized certain drugs, let’s see if it results in all rainbows and unicorns as proponents argue.
2-Can
2025-02-24 05:08:43 +0000 UTCBenicio, Emily, Josh, and that guy from Burn Notice. So much talent.
Brian's Dog
2025-02-24 04:55:42 +0000 UTC@ Bob, Alcohol-drinking countries of Europe created modern civilization as we know it But if you want to start a temperance movement I'm all for it as I don't drink anyway
Milton William Burray
2025-02-24 04:51:52 +0000 UTCThere are roughly twice as many alcoholics as there are addicts of all other drugs combined. Alcohol is the number one addictive substance in the world. It results in more deaths and more economic devastation than any other substance, costing an estimated $250 billion a year in the U.S. as opposed to just under $200 billion for all other drugs combined. American Addiction Centers estimates that 38% of the homeless population abuses alcohol while 26% abuse all other drugs combined. No matter how you slice it - deaths, economic loss or personal financial loss - alcohol is more devastating than all other drugs COMBINED. But alcohol is legal because it’s popular and there’s not the same stigma attached. The war on drugs is a farce and it’s a failure. PS: To be clear, I don’t think alcohol should be banned either. Nor do I think the government has any business telling us how many burgers and hot dogs we’re allowed to eat. Just pointing out the hypocrisy of the majority that think drugs should be banned but alcohol should not.
Just Plain Bob
2025-02-24 04:42:47 +0000 UTC@Bob - I would guess it is b/c we consume far more alcohol than drugs - at this point. Drug effects are punching way above their weight class. And a former mayor of NYC tried to ban large sodas - we don't have a problem of the obese committing crimes to support their sugar addiction. Drug addiction robs people of the free will the libertarians are trying to protect - ideally, the regulations are protecting our free will along with our freedoms. Wherever we eventually fall, we'll need to make choices.
2-Can
2025-02-24 04:35:14 +0000 UTCConsidering her start in Devil Wears Prada this feels like a major jump forward in her career. Weirdly proud of her.
Chris Thom
2025-02-24 04:20:06 +0000 UTCAffordable housing in the cities seems like the biggest hurdle. Everything else seems to stem from that.
Chris Thom
2025-02-24 04:18:40 +0000 UTCThose cartels wreak havoc in Mexico. It's one of the most dangerous regions in the world. They target and murder journalists too. There's some horrible stats around it.
Chris Thom
2025-02-24 04:07:56 +0000 UTCThe thing about “the US”, especially back then, was that it was a bunch of different agencies with different agendas and interests. It would be fair to say the CIA preferred the Colombian cartel.
Jacob King
2025-02-24 04:07:36 +0000 UTCI watched a Sicario review by a guy who was ex-Army SF and ex-Denver SWAT. He had several issues with the opening scene.
Brent Petty
2025-02-24 04:06:45 +0000 UTCDang didn't know he did that either. Thought the Amy Adams spaceship one was his first movie. Think Cassie reacted to it way back.
Chris Thom
2025-02-24 04:06:35 +0000 UTCyeah, I enjoyed the ramming, but letting the criminal just lay there and snuggle with his rifle while all of them turned their backs was quite annoying. But I get what you're saying.
Philip Alan
2025-02-24 04:03:54 +0000 UTCAstraeos - we went after the Medellin cartel (ie, Pablo Escobar) with a particular zeal which we did not visit on their competition. Medellin widely forced officials to accept either "the silver" (ie, bribe) or "the lead" (ie, a bullet). They murdered judges, politicians, and civilians (most infamously, they bombed a school where many of the rich and connected sent their young daughters), Pablo even managed to get himself elected to the Congress. We aligned with some pretty unsavory types ('Los PEPEs') who murdered not just Pablo's associates but also his 'legitimate' bankers and lawyers in order to take down the whole organization. I'm just taking issue with the movie saying that we preferred when Medellin was in charge.
2-Can
2025-02-24 04:01:35 +0000 UTCThe whole house-clearing scene is absurd. No SWAT or FBI team would ever ram a vehicle deliberately into a home like that. What if a hostage was on the other side of that door? Looked cool, though. I guess that was the "Hollywood" in the production rearing it's ugly head.
Brent Petty
2025-02-24 04:00:57 +0000 UTCI wondered if you noticed that Daniel Kaluuya (Reggie -- Kate's partner) was in "Get Out" (2017) that you and Carly reacted to. Also, Jon Bernthal (Ted -- the corrupt Phoenix police officer who choked Kate) was the friend of Basilone early in "The Pacific" series who died at Guadalcanal.
Clay F
2025-02-24 03:59:54 +0000 UTCIt was done with permission from the host country. Mexico had an armed escort waiting for them, and also turned the prisoner over without any issues. She had context clues, she just didn't pick up on them.
Brent Petty
2025-02-24 03:56:08 +0000 UTCDefinitely not a historical truth filled answer I shared, just my thoughts. I appreciate your clarification.
Morgan A. Colbert
2025-02-24 03:55:30 +0000 UTCit felt like a helpless battle, like they said everything they were doing but nothing moving the needle
Cassie
2025-02-24 03:50:03 +0000 UTC😳😳
Cassie
2025-02-24 03:49:31 +0000 UTC@Bob, ''why not start with fatty foods, processed foods, carbohydrates and sugary drinks'' That's what Trump is working on with RFK Jr, to make America healthy again I can't say I've ever looked at a place, or a country, and thought to myself, 'this would be so much better if more people were stoned and strung out' You can look at what the result has been in US cities which stopped prosecuting drugs offences, and judge for yourself whether it's an improvement
Milton William Burray
2025-02-24 03:49:16 +0000 UTCbahaha
Cassie
2025-02-24 03:47:05 +0000 UTCWind River is also written by Taylor Sheridan who is the writer of this movie. Wind River is criminally under seen. I got the 4k recently and Cassie watching would be a great excuse to get around to rewatching it.
shaneth138
2025-02-24 03:46:13 +0000 UTCThat's pretty good, MW. It provides the 'official cover' for the operation while leaving out the 'sensitive' details - and gets to the different purposes of 'law enforcement' and 'national security'.
2-Can
2025-02-24 03:43:33 +0000 UTCTimes are very different now, than back in the 70's and 80's when Medellin was the prime source. Then, the ideology of those in America was that they could actually defeat these guys, and end the massive flow of drugs. Now, 40-50 years later, I think most in the CIA/DoD/FBI/DEA, etc., realize that victory is not achievable, even if they haven't really changed their rhetoric or enforcement.
Astraeos
2025-02-24 03:39:17 +0000 UTC2-Can, I struggled with that as well. My theory is that the "official" report she was forced to sign probably said something like the operation, with FBI as primary agency, was intel gathering and recon on the Senora Cartel operations. When, in reality, it was the CIA assisting a Colombian cartel hitman in finding and executing a senior member of a rival cartel in order to destabilize their operations. While the first part was certainly true, the omission of the last part was what she didn't want to sign off on. Just my personal thoughts.
Michael West
2025-02-24 03:34:08 +0000 UTCI don't buy that the US preferred when Medellin ran the trade - the Columbians would certainly not agree. And we were petrified that they would try the same thing here in the US.
2-Can
2025-02-24 03:23:32 +0000 UTCI never once knew what ROE meant so thanks for figuring that out. I've probably watched this movie ten times. It's one of my favorites. I'm sure other folks have explained it, but just incase Alejandro was a DA, who was taking on the cartels and the final baddy killed his family so now he works for anyone to get revenge and right now that means Medellin(the name of the cartel in Narcos! Colombia) U.S., trying to shift the drug power back to Colombia. The U.S. wants that too. I'm sure folks in the governement gave Matt some blank check type powers but if the regular american people knew the war on drugs was really helping out one drug cartel over the other they would flip out and so Kate is threatening to tell the the dirty parts that most people wouldn't know is going on. I hope I didn't just badly rehash something a dozen people have done, but yeah it's an intense movie. Edit. Fixed my spelling!
Morgan A. Colbert
2025-02-24 03:18:10 +0000 UTCIt's a bit confusing the first watch. Your kinda watching over the shoulder perspective of Blunts Character. Have to piece together the half truths Brolin gives her then match with what actually happened after the fact. 2nd go round you can much more easily fit the pieces together. It's a good misdirect, she seems like the main but she's just a clever device for the viewer to see the film. The name gives its ways. Del toro is the true focus.
Bubba Fett
2025-02-24 03:12:27 +0000 UTCShe's going off of the information she had at the time. FBI operating internationally is supposed to be done with permission from the host country. The only thing that made it "legal" is CIA being involved, which they explicitly show us she doesn't know.
ManVsMachine
2025-02-24 02:50:29 +0000 UTCIt always BUGGED me they didn't clear that gun in the opening scene. You just never know. You're not a doctor, so feeling for a pulse on the neck is never 100 percent proof of anything. CLEAR THE GUN!
Philip Alan
2025-02-24 02:50:22 +0000 UTC@Brent It was my submission for the February Pick-A-Flick. The way she described it, I think her brother saw it on the PAF list and said she should watch it too
ManVsMachine
2025-02-24 02:43:27 +0000 UTCYou alluded to "Narcos" in your intro. I like "Narcos: Mexico" (2015) (3 seasons) -- one of my favorite series. The Mexican actor Diego Luna (who was also in Rogue One you reacted to) is stunning in that. I was blown away by him. My son who had a couple of classes studying foreign movies at the University of Texas said he liked Diego Luna when younger in Mexican movies. Diego Luna is also great in "Andor" (10 episodes) (my favorite Star Wars series) (prequel to Rogue One), which I hope you react to if you ever decide to return to Star Wars. Kaiielle did an excellent reaction to Andor.
Clay F
2025-02-24 02:36:26 +0000 UTCI also enjoyed more on second and third viewings.
Clay F
2025-02-24 02:35:40 +0000 UTCThis is such a fantastic, visceral, edge of the seat, tense movie. I actually enjoyed it more after the second or third viewing. There is so much to enjoy, the plot, cinematography, acting, score, just an astounding film. The youtube edit might be interesting, as I can't recall Cassie being so quiet during a reaction, just glued to the movie it seemed.
Paul B
2025-02-24 02:33:31 +0000 UTCThe only movie that’s on my only watch once list is Requim for a Dream. Saw that once and refuse to ever put myself through that again.
Alex Gorell
2025-02-24 02:31:04 +0000 UTCThe movie fools you to think that Kate (Blunt) is the lead character, but the lead character is Alejandro Gillick (Benicio del Toro) imo. Josh Brolin is incredible in this. Sicario by far is my favorite Denis Villeneuve movie. I do have a hard time watching the dinner table scene in the end. The character Alejandro lost me when he killed the children. But Benicio del Toro gave a powerful performance (10/10) the entire movie. I am an Emily Blunt fan. Her performance here, as would be expected, did not disappoint. [Also liked her in "The English" (2022) miniseries, which is a superb mix of beauty and rough.] Thanks for reacting to this movie. I liked your outro.
Clay F
2025-02-24 01:53:40 +0000 UTCThere were three times as many alcohol related deaths as all other drugs combined last year. Yet there are no calls for Prohibition to be reinstated. Why is that, I wonder? I strongly suspect it’s for the very reason that more people drink alcohol than use “hard” drugs. We’ve only banned the drugs that aren’t as popular. And it’s all because the nanny state believes it has the right to dictate to people what they consume. If we’re gonna ban consumables based on the threat to people’s health, why not start with fatty foods, processed foods, carbohydrates and sugary drinks? How about caffeine, which raises blood pressure? Obesity and its related health problems are a far greater drain on our resources and result in many more deaths each year.
Just Plain Bob
2025-02-24 01:13:31 +0000 UTC105,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2023 Democrat cities tried decriminalizing drugs in the Biden era, what happened was more drug deaths, more crime, more degradation, more homelessness, and declining prosperity Looking back to the 19th century is not a fair comparison and doesn't account for how society has changed
Milton William Burray
2025-02-24 01:09:44 +0000 UTCROE is Rules of Engagement. These are the requirements, conditions and/or circumstances that allow for an active engagement against an identified threat up to, and including lethal force. Depending on those requirements, conditions and circumstances those rules can run a spectrum from very high (direct confirmation of a likewise deadly threat and specific conditions and methods of engagement) to vey low or even non-existent (we’re killing everybody in the area regardless of combatant status using every weapon at our disposal)
Evil Darth Carl
2025-02-24 01:01:23 +0000 UTCFans didn't choose this. She says in her intro it was her brother's idea.
Brent Petty
2025-02-24 00:38:54 +0000 UTCThe mob also owned legitimate business enterprises. But once you take away the illicit earnings, they cease to be a threat. The cartels would have no reason to attack guests of a resort they owned, for instance. And I also suspect they’d lose those businesses to other legitimate businesses - mostly corporations, probably - once they were no longer subsidized by the drug trade. There’s a reason the cartels stay in the drug trade; it finances everything else they do.
Just Plain Bob
2025-02-24 00:38:18 +0000 UTCNot as good. Skip the sequel.
Clay F
2025-02-24 00:36:40 +0000 UTCBy far, Sicario is my favorite Denis Villeneuve movie.
Clay F
2025-02-24 00:35:08 +0000 UTC"Shock value for shock value's sake." I have to agree.
Grad
2025-02-23 23:45:43 +0000 UTCThat's a negative. It's an alright movie, but I don't associate it with the original film, which is damn near a masterpiece.
Mark Vaderr
2025-02-23 23:43:40 +0000 UTCYes
Eric Breighner
2025-02-23 23:42:37 +0000 UTC"Wind River" is an outstanding movie. That same year, everyone went ga-ga over "3 Billboards", which I kind of see them as relatable movies. Wind River is far superior to 3 Billboards.
Mark Vaderr
2025-02-23 23:41:46 +0000 UTCIntense movie that gives you a glimpse into the war on the border with the drug cartels that has made life very dangerous for people just trying live life.
Rick Williams
2025-02-23 23:40:18 +0000 UTCI have friends who have been to Juarez, and they've told me that this movie was very accurate in its portrayal. Sad.
Mark Vaderr
2025-02-23 23:39:20 +0000 UTCNo, no. He also directed Prisoners with Hugh Jackman & Jake Gyllenhaal. Incredible movie. You should check it out. Taylor Sheridan was also a writer for Sicario.
Mark Vaderr
2025-02-23 23:37:41 +0000 UTCI honestly forgot he did until I rewatched here saw his name at the end. Then the visual style all made sense.
JohnnyUtah
2025-02-23 23:32:26 +0000 UTCI've always wondered that myself. The fact that so many are hurt and killed over natural plants seems ridiculous to me. The people who use those drugs continue to use anyway. The associated crime may be a lot worse because of the war on drugs.
Chris Thom
2025-02-23 23:29:55 +0000 UTCIs there really a sequel?
Chris Thom
2025-02-23 23:26:34 +0000 UTCDidn't know Villeneuve directed it. Thought he just did Sci-fi.
Chris Thom
2025-02-23 23:25:19 +0000 UTCthe legend of Mike Vining grows and grows. https://www.warhistoryonline.com/vietnam-war/mike-vining.html
Bill Maurer
2025-02-23 23:24:38 +0000 UTCSo well done, Denis Villeneuve visual style, I never get tired of seeing it. The score and acting by the leads is also top notch!
JohnnyUtah
2025-02-23 23:14:56 +0000 UTC1883 is no lie one of the best TV shows ever made.
Odd Thomas
2025-02-23 23:11:24 +0000 UTCUnfortunately they would as they own almost all produce that comes from Mexico and South America, they own all the telecommunication ands media outlets, and they own just about every tourist destination
Daniel jackson
2025-02-23 22:59:27 +0000 UTC+2 for Wind River! I hope Cassie will react to it someday.
René Ferland
2025-02-23 22:58:17 +0000 UTCStrong agree!
2-Can
2025-02-23 22:40:52 +0000 UTCEvery time I see this movie I am reminded just how little I know about the southern border. I consider myself fairly well-traveled, but this area is still a mystery to me. The aerial shot of the SUVs crossing from El Paso to Juarez still stuns me, seeing the difference just across the border. I also love the perspective shown in the layers of stormy and calm skies, as seen from the south as the Mexican cop is driving towards the tunnel and from the north as the CIA team approaches the other end of the tunnel, the depth of which show that the two adjacent areas have different atmospheres. I like periodically revisiting this movie even though I’m still unclear what would prevent her from signing the document at the end since I didn’t see what was ‘illegal’ in her view. As was stated, she was brought in precisely so things were done ‘by the book’. But it highlights the tension between domestic law enforcement (eg, the FBI) which wants to collect information to build and use in a criminal case and foreign policy considerations (ie, the CIA and the military) which wants to collect the information solely to use it for extra-territorial purposes in-line with government policy. I’m left to see the movie as a warning about what the situation on the border could require of us. I wish there were more movies like this.
2-Can
2025-02-23 22:39:47 +0000 UTC38:48 - Probably my least favorite line in the film "Just spraying bullets everywhere!" That is the exact opposite of what they did. They fired single rounds, not full auto, and there is no one in the world better at CQB (Close-Quarters Battle) than Delta Force. She is freaking out and it's not a good look for an FBI agent in charge of a response team.
Brent Petty
2025-02-23 22:32:53 +0000 UTCTaylor Sheridan is so good. I really think that Cassie and Carly would love “1883” and “Wind River”; because they both feature strong female characters.
Uncle Phoenix
2025-02-23 22:30:01 +0000 UTCThe missing persons posters at the 29:30ish point of the reaction video supposedly include Alejandro's wife and daughter.
Brent Petty
2025-02-23 22:21:18 +0000 UTCCassie briefly became Lurch from Hot Fuzz. "Narp?"
Shad Kanyak
2025-02-23 22:20:14 +0000 UTCSicario (2015) is my favorite. I haven't seen Incendies.
Clay F
2025-02-23 22:16:09 +0000 UTCLeaving Las Vegas is too good for me to not rewatch. Granted, I don't make a regular habit of it, but I do rewatch.
Clay F
2025-02-23 22:13:47 +0000 UTCAnother really good one like this is Steven Soderbergh's Traffic with Michael Douglas and his then wife Catherine Zeta Jones, Benicio del Toro again and Don Cheedle. Four interwoven stories form both sides of the border. Also there is a documentary called Cartel Land about militias on either side working against the cartels.
pinkdino99
2025-02-23 22:09:50 +0000 UTCSicario 2? 😅😁
Eric Breighner
2025-02-23 22:08:56 +0000 UTCNot a fan of Incendies. The whole ending is so incredibly improbable that its eye-rollingly absurd. Shock value for shock value's sake.
Joel P
2025-02-23 22:02:43 +0000 UTCShe was pretty pointless? The mission report is that it was an FBI/Phoenix PD operation with some CIA observers. That is what the official report will say. The exact opposite of reality.
Mike LL
2025-02-23 22:01:30 +0000 UTCWatch your brother's recommendations more often.
Mike LL
2025-02-23 21:57:29 +0000 UTCUnpopular opinion of the day: Drug cartels would disappear tomorrow if drugs were legalized. Until the early 20th century there was no prohibition against drugs. Then a bunch of busybodies decided they had the moral authority to decide what others could/should ingest. I’ve never used an illicit drug in my life and never will. But I also don’t think it’s any of my business what the guy next door does. Alcohol was prohibited for a decade. People still drank and prohibition was a boon to organized crime. Then, prohibition was lifted and organized crime got out of the booze business. Legalize drugs and a decade later the cartels would be nothing but a bad memory.
Just Plain Bob
2025-02-23 21:54:42 +0000 UTCI came out of the cinema with sore shoulders and nail marks in the palm of my hands. So much tension. The CIA have been enabling drug tsars since the Vietnam war, and they trialled using LSD on college kids in the hope it could turn people into sleeper assassins. It's a murky murky world.
pinkdino99
2025-02-23 21:54:06 +0000 UTCShe is a passenger in the story, and the surrogate for the audience. She is an idealist, the moral compass of the audience, who experience the shock, horror, and disillusionment alongside her.
Gábor Árki
2025-02-23 21:45:16 +0000 UTCI have seen this movie several times. It's a hard watch but it does give you a very good idea of what we are up against with cartels, etc. It's brutal, and you can't play by the book if you want to win, you have to play by their rules. You are right, though, the performances are great!
Phillip Bates
2025-02-23 21:44:36 +0000 UTCI've got a few of those, Joe. Leaving Las Vegas, Marley and Me, Derailed, Hachi, Buried, Gorillas In The Mist. Never again.
Clarence Newman
2025-02-23 21:41:34 +0000 UTCCassie, get some Vitamin D supplements. Your levels can really drop during the winter from being inside so much. Your body normally manufactures it's own Vitamin D from sunlight but if you are not outside as much it does not get chance. Vitamin D is critical in the proper functioning of the immune system.
TheSingulatarian
2025-02-23 21:40:22 +0000 UTCHer uselessness to the plot reminds me of the Big Bang Theory episode where they point out that Indiana Jones doesn't change anything about the plot in Raiders. :)
Brent Petty
2025-02-23 21:39:24 +0000 UTCHopefully by then the third one will be out.
Brent Petty
2025-02-23 21:36:58 +0000 UTCI hope so. He's batting 1.000 right now.
Brent Petty
2025-02-23 21:36:29 +0000 UTC+1 for Wind River. Cassie, you've seen his other "Border Trilogy" film off the channel (Hell or High Water, with Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges).
Brent Petty
2025-02-23 21:35:18 +0000 UTCMostly true, Thomas, apart from the fact that rules and regs mean the CIA can't do a mission like that on their own. Kate is pulled in to observe and sign off on the mission, without being enough of a pain to get in the way. At the end of the film, with the dark side of the work done and dusted, Benicio needs her to sign off on the methods that were used. Beyond that, you're right. The success of the mission has nothing to do with her.
Clarence Newman
2025-02-23 21:27:28 +0000 UTCThe shooting at the border wasn't illegal. Kate is just a very dumb character.
Brent Petty
2025-02-23 21:23:25 +0000 UTCso many wonderful movies to choose from but some of your fans choose hard movies to watch, I always wonder, is it a private joke among themselves.
zynjams
2025-02-23 21:03:42 +0000 UTCGreat movie but Blunt's character was pretty pointless in the grand scheme of things. The sequel is somehow even more nihilistic.
Odd Thomas
2025-02-23 20:55:32 +0000 UTCEmily Blunt is SUPERB in this movie. So often these days, filmmakers try to make the female lead into a superwoman or a functional carbon copy of the male characters. Kate Macer is tough and courageous, but also vulnerable and essentially wired like a female, therefore totally believable as a character. I would put Emily's performance up there with Sigourney Weaver in Alien as one of the best and truest examples of a strong female character. Absolute bullseye.
Clarence Newman
2025-02-23 20:31:11 +0000 UTCI was interested to see how you reacted to this one. I spent a lot of time at Ft. Bilss in El Paso during my career and have been to Juarez. It's sadly depressing to see what has happened to Juarez over time. I wasn't sure you would "like" this movie, but I hoped you would appreciate the acting, directing and cinematography. Definitely a dark and raw movie. The confusion about who is a "good" guy and who is a "bad" guy is intentional. Taylor Sheridan writes great stories with somewhat complex characters. Another one of his movies is Wind River starring Elizabeth Olson and Jeremy Renner. It is also very raw and gripping.
Michael West
2025-02-23 20:27:52 +0000 UTCMr. Villeneuve can do some heavy films. 'Incendies' (2010) to this day still remains as my favorite of his. If you were to do another foreign language film, it should be right at the very top.
Shehab Dawoud
2025-02-23 20:15:32 +0000 UTCBeen waiting on this one. One of my favorites. But then again so is everything Denis Villenueve does. Hands down the most tense Ive ever been in a traffic jam.
Blake Evans
2025-02-23 20:05:07 +0000 UTCThis is the type of movie I watched only once. Many films are like that..one and done.
Joe
2025-02-23 20:02:00 +0000 UTCCan't wait to watch this reaction. In a nervous way.
Rick Rodriguez
2025-02-23 20:00:00 +0000 UTCPerfect movie
Daniel Karlsson
2025-02-23 19:52:28 +0000 UTCI definitely thought it was a hard movie to watch.
Ted Whalen
2025-02-23 19:48:44 +0000 UTCSo Ben picked “Saw” and Matt picked “No country for old men” and “Sicario” ?! Cassie I can’t imagine what prank you must off played on them in the past but they are getting you back.😆 But your brother does have great taste in movies.
Mark White
2025-02-23 19:48:44 +0000 UTCHey Cassie! Hope you’re feeling better! Your immune system has really been put through the wringer over the last few months. Please take a break from your hectic schedule and get some rest. Keeping my fingers crossed that your back to 100% sooner than later.
Dan M
2025-02-23 19:48:36 +0000 UTCHow ya feelin', Cass?
bgb1975 (Brian)
2025-02-23 19:36:37 +0000 UTCThe sequel is well worth a watch too, but leave it a year or two as it's not as good as this
Milton William Burray
2025-02-23 19:35:29 +0000 UTCDenis Villeneuve! His third English-language movie! Looooooove this movie...
Steve Mercier
2025-02-23 19:33:30 +0000 UTCI’ve seen this movie once and I really didn’t like it. But it’s been awhile and I kinda give it another chance. Edit: yea I still don’t like it. 🤣 not a good movie in my opinion.
Alex Gorell
2025-02-23 19:29:52 +0000 UTCIMO, Sicario is the best movie that’s come out in the last 20 years.
Joel Baumgartner
2025-02-23 19:25:53 +0000 UTCThank you Cassie! Get better soon! Thoughts and prayers are with you During this difficult time. 🙏🏻
Jason Henderson
2025-02-23 19:24:14 +0000 UTCSo Cassie, after this one, still taking suggestions from your brother, LOL?
Joe
2025-02-23 19:22:26 +0000 UTCLike a sandpaper timex, I knew this would be a rough watch.
Adam Doyle
2025-02-23 19:21:38 +0000 UTCOh hell, yes! Awesome awesome movie
Michael Lynch
2025-02-23 19:21:25 +0000 UTCI suspected that this would be a tough one - Can you forgive your brother ?!?!
John Drake
2025-02-23 19:20:38 +0000 UTCCassie in the land of Wolves 😳
Wes
2025-02-23 19:20:15 +0000 UTC
