El Sicario: Room 164 2011

El Sicario, a seasoned expert in the dark worlds of kidnapping, torture, and assassination, once served as a unit commander within the Mexican state police and even underwent training with the FBI. Over a span of 20 years working for Mexican drug cartels, he has taken the lives of hundreds without ever being captured. Now in hiding, a staggering $250,000 bounty hangs over his head. Yet, he chooses to share his harrowing tale with the lens of Italian documentarian Gianfranco Rosi.

Cloaked in anonymity, this sole protagonist reveals the intricate operations of the Mexican drug mafia, exposing their deep ties to corrupt law enforcement and government officials. The film is remarkably stark, entirely set within a hotel room on the US-Mexican border, which amplifies the chilling nature of the stories he recounts. Through this minimalist approach, viewers are granted a disturbing glimpse into the mindset and modus operandi of a university-educated contract killer, where each chilling detail unveils the grim realities of a world filled with violence and betrayal.

“I am a monster, but I didn’t want to be. This is just how it turned out.”