'Sicario' should have made my top 10 of 2015, it's dynamite stuff

The drug cartel action drama Sicario stands as further proof that Denis Villeneuve deserves to be ranked among the most exciting and promising new directors out there right now.

He makes muscular, ambitious films that aren't afraid to aim to be epic. And while I liked Sicario a little less than his eye-opening Prisoners from 2013, it's definitely the best film I've seen on the subject matter since 2000's Traffic.

Ironically, that film too starred the undervalued Benicio Del Toro in a charismatic and compelling supporting role that winds up being the movie's most emotionally affecting when all is said and done.

Sicario takes a risk by making its hero and audience surrogate -- played very well by Emily Blunt -- several steps behind the narrative. While she is tough and capable, she is essentially a pawn in a much larger scheme involving shadowy government operatives who are bending the law to bring down brutal drug lords.

Because she spends much of the movie confused and earnestly trying to find some sort of morality in what she is doing, the film may not be as accessible to a lot of viewers. But once you embrace the fact that the film is trying to convey both the mayhem and futility of the U.S.-Mexico drug war, I suspect you'll appreciate it more.

Benicio Del Toro in Sicario

If nothing else you'll be drawn in by the cinematography -- along with the Mad Max: Fury Road, Beasts of No Nation and The Revenant, this is the most beautiful looking film I've seen this year. The great Roger Deakins deserves to win a long-overdue Academy Award for this one. The score is also a slow-cooking masterpiece, building upon the layers of ominous dread that we feel in nearly every scene.

And Villeneuve is a director who really knows how to stage an action scene that stings, and sticks with you. It's so hard for violence to be shocking anymore in film. But it is here.

Sicario has picked a subject that's not particularly sexy these days, most highbrow thrillers navigate the equally murky world of international terrorism. But Sicario feels refreshing because it's evoking a very specific region and cultural flavor that feels relevant and authentic.

Just as impressive: although I believe Sicario does in the end have a point of view, it doesn't speechify or spoon-feed audiences its politics. While we are meant to admire Blunt's professionalism and dedication to process, we also see her naivete, and why the more shades-of-grey tactics of a smug, top ranking official -- played to perfection by another underrated actor, Josh Brolin -- may actually be for the best.

Still, the beating heart of this film is Del Toro's performance. He's one of the great actors of his generation who has had far too few roles up to his standards. This is a welcome comeback role for him that in a less competitive year would be a shoo-in for a Best Supporting Actor nomination.

Sicario did OK business when it came out in September, but it deserves to build a following.