AMERICAN SICARIO - A Review by John Strange

AMERICAN SICARIO – A Review by John Strange

I have not watched any of the previous Sicario films. The trials and tribulations of Narcos are not something that I generally find conducive to a fun movie-watching experience. With Danny Trejo listed as one of the actors, I thought that American Sicario sounded like it might be worth a watch.

The base plot of the film revolves around US-ex-pat Narco-gangster Erik Vasquez (Philippe A. Haddad). The burly Texas native ended up in Mexico while avoiding charges for narcotics sales in Laredo. Since his arrival, he has worked himself up the food chain in the cartels, gaining a gang, a pregnant wife, and a father-in-law, Pedro (Danny Trejo), who may or may not be his biggest fan.

The story is a rough view of cartel life in Mexico. It is graphic and bloody. It concentrates on the gangs and their need for loyalty and what happens when that quality is not there.

This is not a great film. The gunfights are poorly staged and poorly edited, looking very fake. The acting is middle-of-the-road, neither great nor terrible. Even the scene with the “dancers” in the “VIP room” was poorly written and executed.

I truly hate writing reviews that tell you not to bother with films. American Sicario is not horrible, it’s just not good. The film’s one shining star, Danny Trejo, was wasted on this film. He did his best with the lines he was given, but the lines did not were simply not well-written. This is a 2-star offering at best.

Director: RJ Collins

Cast: Philippe A. Haddad, Maurice Compte, Maya Stojan, Jaylen Moore, Johnny Rey Diaz, Danny Trejo

MPAA Rating: R (for Violence, Pervasive Language, Drug Use and Some Sexual Material)

Selig Rating: 2 Stars

Runtime: 101 Min.

Subtitles: Spanish, English SDH

Release Date: