It isn’t very often a quality thriller comes along and blows audiences away. Thrillers are a tricky film genre to tackle but when it’s done right, it’s an absolute pleasure and a treat for the senses. The latest crime thriller Sicario is one such film and with a phenomenal cast, a visionary director a fantastic score, among other elements well in place, it is a movie that only impresses but manages to get viewers on the edge of their seats. It is a film that deals with the conflict that exists on the United States-Mexican border and expands it in a brilliantly dramatic way. Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin headline this taut thriller and the results are downright extraordinary.

FBI agent Kate Macer (Blunt) has seen her fair share of on duty action. She is a highly competent agent and a true fighter. This catches the eye of CIA man Matt Graver (Brolin), a guy who plays it kind of loose and seems to have more than a few secrets. He recruits Macer on a top secret mission to take down a big drug lord in Juarez, Mexico. Along with the help of shady mercenary Alejandro (del Toro), these three become involved in a tense situation which results in gun fights, explosions, car chases and more than a few dead bodies. All in all, it’s not your feel good movie of the year.

Sicario (which means “hitman” in Spanish) is a no holds barred action thriller that does not let up once it gets started. The stellar cast led by Emily Blunt is just one of the pieces of this glorious production. The other elements are director Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Incendies) who along with cinematographer Roger Deakins (Skyfall, No Country for Old Men) have created truly beautiful music together. The shots and angles are all sublime and make one feel like they are literally in the movie. Deakins is an artist and his expansive resume speaks for itself (The Shawshank Redemption, A Beautiful Mind, Fargo, Dead Man Walking, Kundun, etc.)

Also worth noting is composer Johann Johannsson (The Theory of Everything, Foxcatcher), a gifted musician who managed to perfectly write a score that underlines all of the quiet tension only to be punctuated by the occasional gunshot. His score is almost the musical equivalent of anxiety and works in every scene it shows up.

Known most notably for films like The Devil Wears Prada and Edge of Tomorrow, Emily Blunt has also won a Golden Globe for her work in the BBC drama Gideon’s Daughter. At 32, the British-American actress is one of the film business’ strongest starlets. Her work in Sicario continues to amaze and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear her name mentioned come Oscar season. The same can be said about Benicio del Toro who already has a statue for his work in 2000’s Traffic. Together, these two are absolutely electric and every scene they share is true cinematic magic. Sicario is a dark, tense film that doesn’t miss a beat. It is a movie that has quite a few chances at winning an Oscar or two and the cast and crew are very deserving of such accolades.