Every month, Hulu adds movies to its lineup that have no business being anywhere near Disney+. But these R-rated flicks wind up on Disney+ anyway because that streaming service has been propping itself up with Hulu’s lineup. It’s one thing to see the Alien or Predator movies on Disney+, and something else entirely to see our Hulu movie pick of the month, Sicario, alongside Mickey Mouse, Marvel, and Star Wars.
Sicario is an action thriller that came out in 2015 to critical acclaim and an impressive $85 million worldwide take against a $30 million budget. Regardless, this movie hasn’t been fully appreciated in the nine years since its release, and it deserves to be rediscovered in the streaming era. That’s why we’re sharing our reasons why Sicario is the one Hulu movie that you have to watch in September.
Sicario unites director of Dune with Yellowstone’s co-creator
Director Denis Villeneuve and screenwriter Taylor Sheridan may not have been on the A-list of their respective professions nine years ago, but things have clearly changed in the interim. Villeneuve finally had breakout hits with both Dune and its sequel, while Sheridan went on to co-create Yellowstone and produce a lot of original series for Paramount+.
Getting these two back together in 2024 would be a dream team. Sicario works beautifully as the synthesis of their talents. Sheridan crafted a dark story with flawed and intriguing characters, and Villeneuve brought the film to life in vivid fashion.
The performances are electrifying
As much as Sicario is a story-driven film, it’s also grounded by great performances from the cast. The Fall Guy‘s Emily Blunt takes the lead as FBI Special Agent Kate Macer, and she’s the closest thing to a real heroic character that the film has. Kate’s not fully on board with the CIA’s take-no-prisoners approach to the drug war, but she’s also in over her head.
Josh Brolin also has a great turn as Matt Graver, the CIA officer who drew Kate into his extralegal web. But perhaps the best performance in the film belongs to Benicio del Toro as Alejandro Gillick. Del Toro is so good in the role that it’s hard not to root for Gillick even when he’s doing morally repugnant things. This trio played off each other at a very high level, and it elevated the drama.
Benicio del Toro is an incredibly intriguing antihero
Del Toro’s character, Alejandro Gillick, is easily the breakout role in Sicario. The film initially keeps Gillick’s motives and function under wraps before he reveals himself to be a killer in the employ of the CIA. Throughout the course of this movie, Gillick does things that aren’t just unheroic — they’re evil. And yet Gillick is more amoral than a simple bad guy working for the feds. He just doesn’t concern himself with antiquated notions like right or wrong when they get in the way of his job or his personal vengeance.
That’s why it’s kind of disappointing that the sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, went the Terminator 2 route of giving Gillick a more heroic turn. He’s far more intriguing when he’s crossing moral lines without even thinking twice about it.
The film creates unexpected and intense action
Sicario is more of a thriller than a conventional action movie. But when the action comes, it’s often unexpected and in a viscerally brutal fashion. This isn’t one of those movies where people get in fights and gun battles without suffering from any wounds. Its use of violence is largely authentic, even in the most brutal moments that the film has to offer.
If Sicario‘s played like an ordinary movie, then it wouldn’t have been as memorable. Instead, much like the CIA in the film, Sicario plays by its own rules, and it’s still one of the most compelling movies of the last decade.
Watch Sicario on Hulu.
