Emily Blunt and Benicio del Toro Fight a Drug Cartel in Sicario

Posted on June 22, 2015

The first trailer is out for Lionsgate's drug war thriller Sicario. Emily Blunt stars as Kate Macer, an FBI agent who has been recruited for an interdepartmental government task force whose job is to take out a vicious Mexical cartel drug lord.

The task force is headed by Matt Graver (James Brolin). He says he's a Defense Department contractor, but it becomes increasingly clear that he's more likely a CIA black ops agent. Also on the team is the Sicario -- a hitman -- named Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro). Alejandro is a former Mexican prosecutor who has decided there is a better way to go after drug traffickers than prosecuting them in a corrupt court of law.

The task force operates in the border area between Mexico and the U.S., sometimes in one country, sometimes in another. The legality of their actions is unclear and Kate becomes increasingly concerned about the methods the team uses to achieve its goal. She's an FBI agent, not a special ops agent. But they need her for the mission.

The film was directed by Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners) from a screenplay by Taylor Sheridan. The cast is top notch. Emily Blunt won rave reviews for her performance when the film debuted at Cannes. Emily can thank Tom Cruise for her new career in gritty action films. He cast her in The Edge of Tomorrow, a brilliant sf thriller that didn't get the recognition it deserved. Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Donovan, Victor Garber and Daniel Kaluuya co star. The film is set for release on September 19, 2015. The trailer is violent, grim and very compelling. Take a look:

EMILY BLUNT