Sicario 2015

In Chandler, Arizona, FBI Critical Incident Response Group agents Kate Macer and Reggie Wayne (Daniel Kaluuya) launch a high-stakes raid on a suspected Mexican cartel safe-house. Here, they are met with a shocking sight: numerous decaying corpses and a deadly booby trap that tragically takes the lives of two policemen. After this harrowing experience, Kate is recommended by her superior for a special task force under the Department of Justice, which is led by Matt Graver and the mysterious Alejandro Gillick. Their aim? To capture Sonora Cartel lieutenant Manuel Díaz (Bernardo Saracino). Confident in the task force’s ability to serve justice, Kate eagerly joins the mission.

The team, armed and ready, heads to Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, where they plan to extradite Díaz’s brother, Guillermo Díaz (Edgar Arreola). In a tense preemptive strike, the team kills several suspected cartel gunmen, leaving Kate in a state of shock as she grapples with the brutal realities of their methods. Alejandro engages in extreme measures, torturing Guillermo to reveal secrets about a tunnel used for drug smuggling.

As events unfold, both Reggie and Kate begin to suspect the integrity of their operation, questioning the legality of the task force’s unorthodox tactics. It soon comes to light that the mission’s true objective is not merely capturing Díaz, but rather dismantling his drug operations, ultimately coaxing him back to Mexico to face his boss, the elusive cartel leader Fausto Alarcón. To disrupt Díaz’s finances, the team conducts a raid on a bank linked to his money laundering activities. However, their hopes of building a legal case against Díaz are dashed when they are instructed to drop the evidence, much to their dismay.

During a night out at a bar, Reggie introduces Kate to Ted (Jon Bernthal), a friend and officer from the Phoenix police. In a moment of passion, Kate soon realizes the truth about Ted’s ties to the cartel. An explosive confrontation ensues, during which Alejandro intervenes, subduing Ted and revealing that they had used Kate as bait, anticipating an assassination attempt from the cartel. Under duress, Ted divulges the names of other corrupt officers affiliated with Díaz.

As the operation progresses, they receive news that Díaz is being recalled to Mexico. But Kate is troubled, knowing they lack jurisdiction in the country. Matt clarifies that she and Reggie are mere tools in a larger game, as aligning with U.S. law enforcement provides the C.I.A. with the legal loophole necessary for their operations. Frustrated, Reggie suggests withdrawing from the task force, but Kate insists on participating in a raid of the cartel’s tunnel to uncover the truth.

At the tunnel’s Mexican end, Kate witnesses Alejandro abducting a corrupt police officer, Silvio (Maximiliano Hernández). When she tries to arrest Alejandro for his actions, he retaliates by shooting at her vest, then escapes with Silvio. Realizing the mission’s intention is never to pursue justice, but rather to exploit the situation, Kate confronts Matt, who reveals their aim to restore a drug trade monopoly controlled by a single cartel—similar to the Medellín of the past, which offers the U.S. greater control. Alejandro, with a personal vendetta due to the murder of his family by Alarcón, is on a mission to eliminate the Sonora Cartel leader.

In Mexico, Alejandro forces Silvio to drive him to Díaz, eliminates Silvio, and confronts Díaz, ultimately leading to bloody chaos at Alarcón’s estate, where he wipes out Díaz and his entire family. The tension culminates as Alejandro visits Kate in her apartment, coercing her at gunpoint to sign a waiver that legitimizes their operation. Despite having the chance to retaliate, she finds herself unable to pull the trigger as Alejandro departs. The film closes with a poignant moment, as Silvio’s widow watches her son play soccer, the sound of gunfire faintly echoing in the distance before the game resumes, encapsulating the ongoing turmoil.