El Sicario: Room 164 2011

In a stunning turn of events, El Sicario, a seasoned operative with a storied history in kidnapping, torture, and contract killings, has decided to bare his soul to the camera lens. This enigmatic figure, whose impressive credentials include stints as a unit commander for the Mexican state police and FBI-trained expert, has spent two decades honing his craft on behalf of Mexico’s most notorious drug cartels. With an astonishing tally of hundreds of lives claimed, El Sicario remains at large, evading capture despite a substantial $250,000 bounty on his head. Currently operating in hiding, he has opted to share his tale with Italian documentary filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi, choosing to veil his identity behind a mask.

As the sole protagonist of Rosi’s unflinching cinematic endeavor, El Sicario recounts the inner workings of Mexico’s drug underworld, detailing the intricate web of corruption that binds together criminal organizations and compromised law enforcement officials. The stark, minimalist setting of a hotel room situated on the US-Mexico border serves to heighten the sense of unease, as viewers are drawn into the psyche of this erudite hitman. Through his deliberate, measured tone, El Sicario reveals the calculating methodology underlying his actions, painting a vivid portrait of a cold-blooded assassin driven by an insatiable appetite for violence.