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Sicario

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Sicario
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Sicario is a 2015 American thriller film directed by Denis Villeneuve from a screenplay written by Taylor Sheridan. It stars Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, and Victor Garber.The film tells the story of Kate Macer (Blunt), an idealistic FBI Special Weapons and Tactics Teams agent, who is enlisted by government official Matt Graver (Brolin) to aid in a joint task force — which includes his mysterious partner, Alejandro Gillick (del Toro) — in tracking down an anonymous drug lord.Kate, wishing to avenge the deaths of two of her fellow officers that the drug lord was apparently responsible for, jumps at the call, but as the task force digs deeper into the cartels, their methods become more and more questionable, and Kate begins to wonder whose side the task force is really on — and whether she has gotten in over her head.A sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, followed in 2018 with a new director (Stefano Sollima). Prior to its release, a third film was announced to be in development; its name was announced as Sicario: Capos in early 2021.Character tropes go on to the Characters Sheet.
 Sicario
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2024-02-21T04:14:38Z
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2024-02-21T04:14:39Z
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Dropped link to Blackmail: Not a Feature - ITEM
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DBTropes
 Sicario / int_1439161f
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Heroic BSoD
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Heroic BSoD: Kate is left feeling broken and betrayed after the movie's events. There's a small flicker of this in Alejandro during Kate's own BSOD, however — when Kate has him at gunpoint, he simply stands there, a resigned look on his face. He'd be fine with getting killed either way.
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 Sicario / int_1d18887f
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Pay Evil unto Evil
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Pay Evil unto Evil: The CIA operatives and Delta operators justify their actions by pointing out their targets are the equally ruthless Mexican drug cartels.
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Cruel and Unusual Death
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Cruel and Unusual Death: A given, considering its a film revolving around the cartel, but the death of Alejandro's daughter particularly stands out: she was apparently dropped into a vat of acid.
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Sicario / int_1e584efa
 Sicario / int_1f250372
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I Need a Freaking Drink
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I Need a Freaking Drink: Infuriated by Matt's decision not to arrest Manuel Diaz for money laundering and their boss's inaction, Kate and Reggie go to a local bar to drink beer and forget their day.
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Vomiting Cop
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Vomiting Cop: Kate and her colleagues are seen throwing up onscreen after discovering the corpses hidden behind the drywall of a suburban house.
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 Sicario / int_21d70919
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Crapsack World
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Crapsack World: Life on the U.S.-Mexico border is depicted as being dreary and dangerous (especially in Juarez), where the cops are either corrupt or fighting dirty in the War on Drugs and the drug lords are eager to kill men, women, and children to keep control of the supply.
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 Sicario / int_22cf536c
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Chekhov's Gun
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Chekhov's Gun: The pink-and-blue armband used by Manuel Diaz to roll his money. When Kate sees the same armband on Ted's keychain, she realises that he is under Manuel's payroll. Alejandro warns Kate that she should not trust the Mexican police. A patrol car is seen tailing the convoy shortly before the crossing, then one member of the Mexican convoy tries to kill Kate during the shootout.
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Steel Ear Drums
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Steel Ear Drums: Reg is standing maybe 50 feet from a tremendous explosion near the beginning of the film. Kate is even closer, though partially protected by the building she's standing in. Neither of them show any signs of even temporary hearing loss. Also, the ear-friendly shootout in the tunnel.
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Emerging from the Shadows
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Emerging from the Shadows: Inverted in a memorable scene, where a group of Deltas with nightvision goggles silhouetted against the fading dusk march into the darkness. Their silhouettes slowly lower as they walk forwards, until they disappear into the darkness.
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Catapult Nightmare
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Catapult Nightmare: Alejandro has one on a plane.
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Booby Trap
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Booby Trap: The raid in Chandler, Arizona leads to the team finding corpses in the walls inside the house. Naturally, the team becomes curious at what horrors the shed outside the house contains, but such investigation leads to triggering an explosion that blows up two police officers.
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Shower of Angst
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Shower of Angst: After the bust at the House of Horrors, Kate is seen taking a shower at her apartment to clean herself of her own blood after the explosion.
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 Sicario / int_2ebc9c4e
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Sunshine Noir
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Sunshine Noir: It takes place mostly in bright sun or at least broad daylight in arid desert environments at the U.S./Mexican border (except for the last quarter or so, particularly the tunnel sequence, which takes place on a dark night), and yet it's as bleak and complex as many good Film Noir examples.
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Stuff Blowing Up
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Stuff Blowing Up: The shed in the backyard of the House of Horrors explodes when cops try to open a trapdoor. The conflagration kills two cops.
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Hollywood Healing
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Hollywood Healing: Averted. The wounds Kate and Dave take early on from the IED leave them with cuts and bruises for the rest of the film.
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 Sicario / int_396e1c2a
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Face Death with Dignity
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Face Death with Dignity: Fausto Alarcon quickly deduces that Alejandro is not there to arrest him or negotiate. His only request is not to do it in front of his boys. Unfortunately for him Alejandro uses his Exact Words and kills his wife and son in front of him. Alarcon is clearly horrified by this and just calmly awaits his turn.
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SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism
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Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: Far on the cynicism side. Life across the border is depicted as dangerous and grim due to the cartels' violent actions, kids aren't spared from this violence, law enforcers are either on the cartels' payroll or are fighting them with similar violence, and the few idealistic law enforcers are constantly belittled or eventually corrupted with violence. The ending scene even shows that Mexicans have come to accept violence as their reality and just turn a blind eye to it all, and that nothing at all has changed, even though one Cartel has been taken down.
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Surprisingly Realistic Outcome
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Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Kate is tough, but is overpowered in two fights. In the first, she's very drunk and knocked off balance. In the second, even after she gives a good punch to Matt, she's just been shot twice in the chest (saved by a bulletproof vest, but still winded and likely heavily bruised, if not with cracked ribs) and is much smaller than him, so after the first hit, the larger and uninjured Matt easily gets her in a disabling grapple. A bulletproof vest can stop the killing wound of a bullet, but not the impact and the force behind it. When Kate gets shot in her vest by Alejandro, she has no actual injuries but is still visibly gasping and winded and can barely stand up. The shootout in the bridge finishes immediately in the CIA's favor. The CIA guys never let their guard down during the whole ride, and upon spotting the cartel hitmen, they simply storm out and cut them down. Fausto Alarcon asks Alejandro to spare his family. He doesn't, because Alejandro is a sicario, not a cop. However badly she despises the man, Kate cannot shoot Alejandro in the back. That would be murder, first-degree, and she can't claim self-defense in doing so. Alarcon, faced with Alejandro pointing a gun at both him and his family, tries to (in a very high-handed way) use the logic he uses to justify his lifestyle to himself on a man whose life he ruined and family he had murdered.
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Make It Look Like an Accident
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Make It Look Like an Accident: At the end, when Alejandro tells Kate she "would be committing suicide" if she does not sign the document. He's holding her own gun, wearing a glove, and pressing the gun to her chin in a direction mimicking the position someone would take to shoot themselves in the head. He can make her death look like a suicide, very easily.
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Cold-Blooded Torture
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Cold-Blooded Torture: Whatever Alejandro does to Guillermo to loosen his tongue, it sure does not sound pretty. Savvy viewers will pick up on the implication of waterboarding. His torture of Ted happens mostly offscreen, but we do see Alejandro roughing him up a bit and giving him a wet willie, which causes him a lot of pain.
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Would Hurt a Child
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Would Hurt a Child: Alejandro shoots and kills Fausto Alarcon's wife and 2 children at the dinner table before killing him. He also threatens to have Manuel Diaz's daughters raped by 20 men if he doesn't comply with his demands. Fausto Alarcon himself had no problem killing Alejandro's daughter by having her thrown in a vat of acid.
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CIA Evil, FBI Good
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CIA Evil, FBI Good: Matt is eventually revealed to work for the CIA and he uses underhanded and illegal methods to get his way, while Kate and Reggie work for the FBI and try to follow protocol.
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 Sicario / int_4814d132
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Big Fancy House
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Big Fancy House: Fausto Alarcon's villa. Not only it is big but it has a typical millionaire vibe with the golden theme permeating its halls.
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Scenery Porn
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Scenery Porn: Despite the grim subject, the film puts a good amount of emphasis into capturing the arid beauty of the US-Mexico border. Pretty much a Roger Deakins trademark.
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I Have a Family
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I Have a Family: What Silvio tells Alejandro when he hijacks him at gunpoint. His family clearly does not live in the same luxury as Manuel Diaz and Fausto Alarcon's families do, not that this saves him.
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 Sicario / int_4e3d253b
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Downer Ending
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Downer Ending: Possibly the darkest ending out of all of Denis Villeneuve's movies. Kate is left broken and devastated by the horrors she has witnessed and the treachery she has been a part of against her will while Matt and Alejandro do not face consequences for their illegal and immoral actions, which include murdering a cartel jefe and his family as well as a Mexican cop who had a family. Meanwhile, nothing has changed at the border and Juarez is still a Crapsack World where a soccer game is interrupted by gunfire and passersby react merely by turning a blind eye after a moment of surprise, highlighting the fact that they have come to accept the violence as their reality.
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Wham Shot
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Wham Shot: When Kate sees the pink-and-blue armband on Ted's keychain.
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Disproportionate Retribution
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Disproportionate Retribution: Invoked by Matt when he explains that his plan is to "dramatically overreact" against the cartel. Subverted in that this is how law enforcement agencies always react when their officers are killed, and in this case two were in the shed explosion at the beginning of the film, to deter future targeting of police.
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 Sicario / int_51589353
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The Cartel
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The Cartel: The main antagonists in the film work for the Sonora Cartel, with Manuel Diaz being their senior operative based in the United States, and Fausto Alarcon being a high ranking lieutenant who is responsible for the death of of Alejandro's family.
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 Sicario / int_53b6ab6a
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Jumped at the Call
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Jumped at the Call: As soon as Kate has the opportunity to punish the man responsible for the House of Horrors, she agrees unhesitatingly.
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 Sicario / int_554063c6
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If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!
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If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!: When Kate has the opportunity to shoot Alejandro in cold blood for forcing her to betray her morals, she ultimately can't bring herself to do it since it would make her no better than him. She is still very much torn up about it, though.
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Late-Arrival Spoiler
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Late-Arrival Spoiler: Benicio del Toro's role in the film is pretty small until the third act, where it becomes clear that he's been the moving force behind the entire plan of the film, and is the titular sicario. The original poster conceals this development nicely by placing him amidst the other characters on more or less equal ground. The Region 1 DVD case not only puts del Toro directly underneath the title, but makes his picture larger and at the apex of a triangle with the two other mains.
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Bunny-Ears Lawyer
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Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Matt Graver immediately stands out because of his sandals, casual clothing and equally casual attitude. He acts more like a teenage slacker than a veteran federal employee. Turns out he's a ruthlessly effective CIA officer, as capable a killer as the Delta operators. Graver reveals his true nature to Kate at the tunnel raid, easily overpowering her and explaining his morally ambiguous plan for 'stabilizing' the War on Drugs.
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Even Evil Has Loved Ones
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Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Both Fausto Alarcon and Manuel Diaz are shown to have families that they care about. Fausto in particular is clearly shattered into near catatonia when Alejandro murders his family before his eyes. Silvio is a downplayed example in that he is never seen doing anything evil beside acting as a mule. He loves his wife and son nevertheless. Ted has a daughter from a previous marriage, information that Matt and Alejandro use when interrogating him. Depending on your definition of evil, Alejandro meets a Mexican prosecutor from his days before being a hitman, and the two have a regret-filled but friendly interaction. If anything, all of Alejandro's actions are driven by the memory of his slain wife and child.
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 Sicario / int_6b05b601
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Jerkass Has a Point
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Jerkass Has a Point: When they arrest one of the cartel's mules depositing money at the bank, Kate decides to go inside to question the bank staff. Matt advises against it. She ends up having her face recorded on the CCTV cameras inside. The cartel use this to send Ted, the Phoenix PD officer on their payroll, to go after her, seduce her, and try to kill her. Dave Jennings, Kate's FBI superior, points out to her that technically depositing $9000 a day into a bank account is not illegal, as the limit at which the IRS has to be notified is $10,000. Matt points out that as long as 20% of Americans are using drugs there will always be people fighting to supply them and stabilizing the market is better than a power vacuum.
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The Reveal
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The Reveal: The CIA's plan is to use Alejandro to break up the Mexican cartels and restore the Medellin Cartel as the sole controller of the drugs trade and establish a measure of control they can regulate. The sheer demand and size of the drugs trade mean the war on drugs can never really end.
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 Sicario / int_723be11b
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Villain Has a Point
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Villain Has a Point: Alarcon is probably absolutely correct that Alejandro's wife would never be proud of what he's become.
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 Sicario / int_77414bc2
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Action Prologue
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Action Prologue: The movie jumps right into action with a SWAT Team raid including Stuff Blowing Up.
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 Sicario / int_7abd339f
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Black-and-White Morality
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Black-and-White Morality: Kate holds this viewpoint early on, believing that she is on the good side of the War on Drugs. Events conspire to knock that viewpoint out of her by the end.
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 Sicario / int_7bce52f1
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OutOfCharacterIsSeriousBusiness
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Out of Character Is Serious Business: When Matt stops being jovial and starts getting serious, it's a sign that something has gone wrong.
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 Sicario / int_7bf14666
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And Now for Someone Completely Different
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And Now for Someone Completely Different: After spending the majority of the film focused on Kate's point of view, the last portion of the movie focuses on Alejandro's Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
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 Sicario / int_7febc23b
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Establishing Character Moment
 Sicario / int_7febc23b
comment
Establishing Character Moment: Following the opening SWAT raid, one of Kate's agents asks her what his response to the district attorney should be for his statement. Her reply is "The truth". Establishing her as a By-the-Book Cop and someone who inspires loyalty in those under her command. Matt is shown in flip flops and very casual wear amongst a conference table full of suited and square FBI agents. His confident tone and how the meeting defers to him means he is definitely not law enforcement.
 Sicario / int_7febc23b
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1.0
 Sicario / int_7febc23b
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1.0
 Sicario
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Sicario / int_7febc23b
 Sicario / int_863fa679
type
What Happened to the Mouse?
 Sicario / int_863fa679
comment
What Happened to the Mouse?: Steve acts as Matt's number two for the operation in El Paso and Juarez, but disappears from the picture after the plot leaves the cities.
 Sicario / int_863fa679
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1.0
 Sicario / int_863fa679
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1.0
 Sicario
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Sicario / int_863fa679
 Sicario / int_868409c
type
Broken Pedestal
 Sicario / int_868409c
comment
Broken Pedestal: Reggie considered Ted as a friend. He is understandably not happy when he learns that he is a Dirty Cop and that he was sent to murder Kate.
 Sicario / int_868409c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sicario / int_868409c
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1.0
 Sicario
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Sicario / int_868409c
 Sicario / int_8767b1f3
type
Black-and-Gray Morality
 Sicario / int_8767b1f3
comment
Black-and-Gray Morality: It is shown that drug lords, such as Fausto Alarcon, kidnap, kill and mutilate people on both sides of the border to inspire fear and maintain control, but Matt and his team are not above shooting cartel sicarios in public or using torture to bring down the Sonora cartel. It toes the line with their overall goal, restoring power to the Medellin cartel, as the CIA believes the cartels will never be totally rid of - and it's thus better to install a puppet cartel that can regulate the crime rate and war.
 Sicario / int_8767b1f3
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1.0
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Sicario / int_8767b1f3
 Sicario / int_8a817c2a
type
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil
 Sicario / int_8a817c2a
comment
Alejandro shoots and kills Fausto Alarcon's wife and 2 children at the dinner table before killing him. He also threatens to have Manuel Diaz's daughters raped by 20 men if he doesn't comply with his demands.
 Sicario / int_8a817c2a
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Sicario / int_8a817c2a
 Sicario / int_900d51a0
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One-Liner, Name... One-Liner
 Sicario / int_900d51a0
comment
One-Liner, Name... One-Liner: Matt when announcing the rules of engagement before they enter the tunnel.
 Sicario / int_900d51a0
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1.0
 Sicario / int_900d51a0
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 Sicario
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Sicario / int_900d51a0
 Sicario / int_921cdca8
type
Nothing Personal
 Sicario / int_921cdca8
comment
Nothing Personal: Fausto Alarcon views the murder of Alejandro's wife and daughter this way. Alejandro disagrees. Vehemently.
 Sicario / int_921cdca8
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1.0
 Sicario / int_921cdca8
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1.0
 Sicario
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Sicario / int_921cdca8
 Sicario / int_928ca2cc
type
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness
 Sicario / int_928ca2cc
comment
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Alejandro kills both Silvio and Manuel once he no longer needs them to infiltrate Fausto's mansion.
 Sicario / int_928ca2cc
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1.0
 Sicario / int_928ca2cc
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Sicario / int_928ca2cc
 Sicario / int_957e5fc2
type
Villainous Breakdown
 Sicario / int_957e5fc2
comment
Villainous Breakdown: Alarcon has a silent one after Alejandro murders his wife and children.
 Sicario / int_957e5fc2
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Sicario / int_957e5fc2
 Sicario / int_970c790a
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Big Bad
 Sicario / int_970c790a
comment
Both Fausto Alarcon and Manuel Diaz are shown to have families that they care about. Fausto in particular is clearly shattered into near catatonia when Alejandro murders his family before his eyes.
 Sicario / int_970c790a
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 Sicario / int_970c790a
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Sicario / int_970c790a
 Sicario / int_9718a22a
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You Remind Me of X
 Sicario / int_9718a22a
comment
You Remind Me of X: Alejandro tells Kate that she reminds him of someone who meant a lot to him. At the end, he reveals Kate reminds him of his daughter. Yes, a child in a barrel of acid.
 Sicario / int_9718a22a
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1.0
 Sicario / int_9718a22a
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 Sicario
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Sicario / int_9718a22a
 Sicario / int_973d220f
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Never My Fault
 Sicario / int_973d220f
comment
Never My Fault: Fausto Alarcon refuses to accept any real responsibility for what he did to Alejandro, instead blaming the world they live in and giving him a "it was Nothing Personal" explanation.
 Sicario / int_973d220f
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1.0
 Sicario / int_973d220f
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1.0
 Sicario
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Sicario / int_973d220f
 Sicario / int_974d246c
type
Be as Unhelpful as Possible
 Sicario / int_974d246c
comment
Be as Unhelpful as Possible: Neither Matt nor Alejandro seem bothered to bring Kate into the loop about the specifics of the mission. It turns out to be because the CIA is not allowed to operate on American soil except when working with a domestic agency, so literally her only purpose on the team is to be present and allow them to use the loophole.
 Sicario / int_974d246c
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1.0
 Sicario / int_974d246c
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1.0
 Sicario
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Sicario / int_974d246c
 Sicario / int_9bfb2f41
type
Dead Guy on Display
 Sicario / int_9bfb2f41
comment
Dead Guy on Display: On their way to Juarez, the convoy witnesses mutilated bodies hanging from the overpass, as a message of who the people should fear and respect.
 Sicario / int_9bfb2f41
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1.0
 Sicario / int_9bfb2f41
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1.0
 Sicario
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Sicario / int_9bfb2f41
 Sicario / int_a0e51cd2
type
Judge, Jury, and Executioner
 Sicario / int_a0e51cd2
comment
Judge, Jury, and Executioner: Although Alejandro is the titular sicario, he refers to himself as a prosecutor. He technically was a lawyer.
 Sicario / int_a0e51cd2
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1.0
 Sicario / int_a0e51cd2
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1.0
 Sicario
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Sicario / int_a0e51cd2
 Sicario / int_a70223
type
Karma Houdini
 Sicario / int_a70223
comment
Karma Houdini: Matt, Steve, and Alejandro get off scot-free for all of the illegal and ethically questionable things they have done throughout the film.
 Sicario / int_a70223
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1.0
 Sicario / int_a70223
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1.0
 Sicario
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Sicario / int_a70223
 Sicario / int_a9f2e259
type
Mole in Charge
 Sicario / int_a9f2e259
comment
Mole in Charge: The objective is to use Alejandro to restore the defunct Medellin Cartel as the sole controller of the drugs trade, and thus restore the drugs trade to a measure of control.
 Sicario / int_a9f2e259
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1.0
 Sicario / int_a9f2e259
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Sicario / int_a9f2e259
 Sicario / int_affd30b0
type
Stupid Evil
 Sicario / int_affd30b0
comment
Stupid Evil: Dirty Cop Ted who, despite knowing he's screwed with no legal leg to stand on, keeps blubbering about how he screwed up, making excuses, and keeps getting beat up and tortured by Alejandro instead of simply answering their questions at first.
 Sicario / int_affd30b0
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 Sicario / int_affd30b0
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1.0
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Sicario / int_affd30b0
 Sicario / int_b1dde8fd
type
Loophole Abuse
 Sicario / int_b1dde8fd
comment
Loophole Abuse: Matt, who is actually a CIA spook, cannot operate on American soil... unless his team is working in conjunction with a domestic agency. He really only needs Kate in his team to abuse that loophole.
 Sicario / int_b1dde8fd
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1.0
 Sicario / int_b1dde8fd
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Sicario / int_b1dde8fd
 Sicario / int_b58b4e3c
type
Too Dumb to Live
 Sicario / int_b58b4e3c
comment
Too Dumb to Live: The cartel thugs who try to ambush the prison convoy crossing the border. The Deltas instantly see through the trap and give the thugs a chance to surrender. The thugs instead try and draw their weapons despite being in an unfavorable position and get slaughtered as a result.
 Sicario / int_b58b4e3c
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 Sicario / int_b58b4e3c
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Sicario / int_b58b4e3c
 Sicario / int_b7042372
type
Cycle of Revenge
 Sicario / int_b7042372
comment
Cycle of Revenge: Defied; Alejandro kills Fausto's wife and children before he kills him.
 Sicario / int_b7042372
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1.0
 Sicario / int_b7042372
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Sicario / int_b7042372
 Sicario / int_bf1c906
type
Trophy Wife
 Sicario / int_bf1c906
comment
Trophy Wife: Averted. Fausto Alarcon defies a lot of drug lord stereotypes and has a wife who, while certainly attractive, appears to be about the same age as he is and old enough to be the mother of teenage boys meaning she’s probably their birth mother and they’ve been married a long time.
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Sicario / int_bf1c906
 Sicario / int_c04b1231
type
Jump Scare
 Sicario / int_c04b1231
comment
Jump Scare: The sound of Alejandro swiftly executing Alarcon's wife and kids will have you flinching and/or jumping the same way it had Alarcon, especially considering how dead silent the scene was beforehand.
 Sicario / int_c04b1231
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1.0
 Sicario / int_c04b1231
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Sicario / int_c04b1231
 Sicario / int_c287be68
type
Family-Values Villain
 Sicario / int_c287be68
comment
Family-Values Villain: Despite being the Big Bad of the movie what little we see of Fausto Alarcon he seems to be a devoted husband and father.
 Sicario / int_c287be68
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1.0
 Sicario / int_c287be68
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 Sicario
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Sicario / int_c287be68
 Sicario / int_c547cd6d
type
Bulletproof Vest
 Sicario / int_c547cd6d
comment
Bulletproof Vest: All of the Delta operators sport them in the field, as do Kate and Reggie. The latter two are even shown loading ceramic plates into their vests. Alejandro later shoots Kate in the vest to knock her down without heavily injuring her, and it's shown realistically - Kate is left desperately gasping for air and injured enough to have to stay out of the fight.
 Sicario / int_c547cd6d
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1.0
 Sicario / int_c547cd6d
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1.0
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Sicario / int_c547cd6d
 Sicario / int_c84e56a2
type
Sean Connery Is About to Shoot You
 Sicario / int_c84e56a2
comment
Sean Connery Is About to Shoot You: Kate on the movie poster.
 Sicario / int_c84e56a2
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1.0
 Sicario / int_c84e56a2
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Sicario / int_c84e56a2
 Sicario / int_ca7ec334
type
Two Lines, No Waiting
 Sicario / int_ca7ec334
comment
Two Lines, No Waiting: Kate's storyline is intercut with that of a Mexican cop named Silvio.
 Sicario / int_ca7ec334
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sicario / int_ca7ec334
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1.0
 Sicario
hasFeature
Sicario / int_ca7ec334
 Sicario / int_cd7ef676
type
Seen It All
 Sicario / int_cd7ef676
comment
Seen It All: Alejandro seems familiar with everyone's tactics, and sports a world-weary posture.
 Sicario / int_cd7ef676
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1.0
 Sicario / int_cd7ef676
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1.0
 Sicario
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Sicario / int_cd7ef676
 Sicario / int_cdfe12c3
type
Nothing Is Scarier
 Sicario / int_cdfe12c3
comment
Nothing Is Scarier: We don't see what Alejandro does to make Guillermo talk; the camera instead cuts to a push-in shot of the drain in the room with choking noises in the background. The tunnel sequence. Alejandro's slow search of the mansion for Fausto.
 Sicario / int_cdfe12c3
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1.0
 Sicario / int_cdfe12c3
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1.0
 Sicario
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Sicario / int_cdfe12c3
 Sicario / int_ceec4df5
type
Roaring Rampage of Revenge
 Sicario / int_ceec4df5
comment
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Alejandro's motive all along. He seeks retribution against drug lord Fausto Alarcon for murdering his wife and daughter.
 Sicario / int_ceec4df5
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1.0
 Sicario / int_ceec4df5
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Sicario / int_ceec4df5
 Sicario / int_d001c42c
type
Anti-Villain
 Sicario / int_d001c42c
comment
Anti-Villain: Silvio appears to be a loving husband and father who works as a mule on the side. It’s possible he’s been coerced into doing it.
 Sicario / int_d001c42c
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1.0
 Sicario / int_d001c42c
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Sicario / int_d001c42c
 Sicario / int_d5c7b415
type
Elites Are More Glamorous
 Sicario / int_d5c7b415
comment
Elites Are More Glamorous: Matt and co. pull in a team of Delta Force guys to their operation, fresh out of Afghanistan. And Matt and Steve are heavily implied to be part of the CIA's Special Activities Division.
 Sicario / int_d5c7b415
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1.0
 Sicario / int_d5c7b415
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1.0
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Sicario / int_d5c7b415
 Sicario / int_d9ffec82
type
Curb-Stomp Battle
 Sicario / int_d9ffec82
comment
Curbstomp Battle: The shootout in the border crossing between the CIA convoy and cartel gunmen ends quickly and decisively in the CIA's favor, with no casualties whatsoever.
 Sicario / int_d9ffec82
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1.0
 Sicario / int_d9ffec82
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1.0
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Sicario / int_d9ffec82
 Sicario / int_e0e8cce6
type
Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!
 Sicario / int_e0e8cce6
comment
Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: Kate's idealistic view on the War on Drugs gets trampled relentlessly throughout the movie as she bears witness to the horrors of the cartels and the underhanded (and blatantly illegal) methods used by Matt and Alejandro to stop (actually, to control) them.
 Sicario / int_e0e8cce6
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1.0
 Sicario / int_e0e8cce6
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Sicario / int_e0e8cce6
 Sicario / int_e154ff08
type
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique
 Sicario / int_e154ff08
comment
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Matt and Alejandro's specialty when garnering information.
 Sicario / int_e154ff08
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1.0
 Sicario / int_e154ff08
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 Sicario
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Sicario / int_e154ff08
 Sicario / int_e1fa333c
type
Hannibal Lecture
 Sicario / int_e1fa333c
comment
Hannibal Lecture: Fausto Alarcon tries one on Alejandro, giving him a "Not So Different" Remark about some of the tactics employed by the authorities that the cartels later adopted for themselves. Alejandro is having none of it and shoots Alarcon's wife and kids, then him.
 Sicario / int_e1fa333c
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 Sicario / int_e1fa333c
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Sicario / int_e1fa333c
 Sicario / int_e563bf09
type
Insistent Terminology
 Sicario / int_e563bf09
comment
Insistent Terminology: Matt, Steve, and Alejandro are "DoD advisors."
 Sicario / int_e563bf09
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1.0
 Sicario / int_e563bf09
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1.0
 Sicario
hasFeature
Sicario / int_e563bf09
 Sicario / int_e9e35e8f
type
Exact Words
 Sicario / int_e9e35e8f
comment
Exact Words: When he realises that Alejandro really intends to kill him, Fausto Alarcon requests not to be killed in front of his sons. Alejandro complies... by killing his sons and his wife first.
 Sicario / int_e9e35e8f
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 Sicario / int_e9e35e8f
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1.0
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Sicario / int_e9e35e8f
 Sicario / int_eb251937
type
Dirty Cop
 Sicario / int_eb251937
comment
Silvio is a downplayed example in that he is never seen doing anything evil beside acting as a mule. He loves his wife and son nevertheless.
 Sicario / int_eb251937
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1.0
 Sicario / int_eb251937
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1.0
 Sicario
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Sicario / int_eb251937
 Sicario / int_eb81c601
type
Big Damn Heroes
 Sicario / int_eb81c601
comment
Big Damn Heroes: Alejandro arriving just in time to stop Ted from strangling Kate to death can be either this or a Villainous Rescue, depending on your viewpoint.
 Sicario / int_eb81c601
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1.0
 Sicario / int_eb81c601
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 Sicario
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Sicario / int_eb81c601
 Sicario / int_ef6e5c9d
type
Dictionary Opening
 Sicario / int_ef6e5c9d
comment
Dictionary Opening: The film opens with a black screen explaining in text what "sicario" means (it comes from a fanatical sect of Jews who knifed Roman occupiers and their collaborators in Judea, and it has come to mean "hitman" in Mexico).
 Sicario / int_ef6e5c9d
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 Sicario / int_ef6e5c9d
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Sicario / int_ef6e5c9d
 Sicario / int_f0c4ce7d
type
The Lost Lenore
 Sicario / int_f0c4ce7d
comment
The Lost Lenore: Alejandro's wife.
 Sicario / int_f0c4ce7d
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1.0
 Sicario / int_f0c4ce7d
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 Sicario
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Sicario / int_f0c4ce7d
 Sicario / int_f1e68523
type
The Not-Love Interest
 Sicario / int_f1e68523
comment
The Not-Love Interest: Kate for Alejandro. He frequently checks in on her over the course of the movie, saves her life when she's nearly choked to death by Ted, and mentions later that she reminds him of his daughter. This doesn't stop him threatening her life if she refuses to sign the affadavit, however, demonstrating just how far over the line he's gone in his pursuit of revenge.
 Sicario / int_f1e68523
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 Sicario / int_f1e68523
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Sicario / int_f1e68523
 Sicario / int_f3b5d559
type
SWAT Team
 Sicario / int_f3b5d559
comment
SWAT Team: FBI Agents Kate and Reggie accompany a Phoenix Police Department SWAT Team to the Chandler, Arizona safehouse raid at the beginning of the movie.
 Sicario / int_f3b5d559
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1.0
 Sicario / int_f3b5d559
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Sicario / int_f3b5d559
 Sicario / int_f52ae5d8
type
Enemy Civil War
 Sicario / int_f52ae5d8
comment
Enemy Civil War: Once Cartel leader Diaz is extradited, the various cartel factions in Juarez descend into vicious street fighting, which Kate grimly observes from the safety of El Paso.
 Sicario / int_f52ae5d8
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1.0
 Sicario / int_f52ae5d8
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Sicario / int_f52ae5d8
 Sicario / int_fb3576b2
type
The Dog Bites Back
 Sicario / int_fb3576b2
comment
The Dog Bites Back: Ultimately subverted. As Alejandro is leaving her apartment after blackmailing her into signing the waiver, Kate storms out on her balcony and holds him at gunpoint, ready to shoot. However, Kate still holds onto her ideals and can't bring herself to shoot Alejandro, since it would constitute a crime. She resignedly and tearfully lowers her gun as Alejandro walks away.
 Sicario / int_fb3576b2
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 Sicario / int_fb3576b2
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1.0
 Sicario
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Sicario / int_fb3576b2
 Sicario / int_fb6b207f
type
You Killed My Father
 Sicario / int_fb6b207f
comment
You Killed My Father: Alejandro's motive to go after Fausto Alarcon is because he murdered his wife and daughter.
 Sicario / int_fb6b207f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sicario / int_fb6b207f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Sicario
hasFeature
Sicario / int_fb6b207f
 Sicario / int_fbb54ba6
type
Forever War
 Sicario / int_fbb54ba6
comment
Forever War: Matt and Alejandro point out to Kate that the War on Drugs will never end until the demand for them in the US goes away. Until then, the best they can do is keep the chaos contained by propping up drug cartels that are under the CIA's control.
 Sicario / int_fbb54ba6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sicario / int_fbb54ba6
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1.0
 Sicario
hasFeature
Sicario / int_fbb54ba6
 Sicario / int_fed07537
type
Mighty Whitey
 Sicario / int_fed07537
comment
Mighty Whitey: Subverted with Matt and Kate. Big time.
 Sicario / int_fed07537
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-0.3
 Sicario / int_fed07537
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1.0
 Sicario
hasFeature
Sicario / int_fed07537
 Sicario / int_name
type
ItemName
 Sicario / int_name
comment
 Sicario / int_name
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1.0
 Sicario / int_name
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 Sicario
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Sicario / int_name
 Sicario / int_name
itemName
Sicario

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Sicario
hasFeature
Assassins Are Always Betrayed / int_878486aa
 Sicario
hasFeature
California Doubling / int_878486aa
 Sicario
hasFeature
Conspiracy Thriller / int_878486aa
 Sicario
hasFeature
Criminal Procedural / int_878486aa
 Sicario
hasFeature
Dictionary Opening / int_878486aa
 Sicario
hasFeature
Films of the 2010s – Franchises / int_878486aa
 Sicario
hasFeature
Pinball Protagonist / int_878486aa
 Sicario
hasFeature
Post-9/11 Terrorism Movie / int_878486aa
 Sicario
hasFeature
Post-9/11 Terrorism Movie / int_878486aa
 Sicario
hasFeature
Shooting Gallery / int_878486aa
 Sicario
hasFeature
Switch to English / int_878486aa
 Sicario
hasFeature
The Cartel / int_878486aa
 Sicario
hasFeature
Thematic Series / int_878486aa
 Sicario
hasFeature
Vomiting Cop / int_878486aa