10 Most Intense Scenes In War Films

Sicario, a brutal rendering of the war on drugs, takes its protagonist, Kate, and the task force she has been assigned to on a drive through Juarez.

This is an action thriller and the film is spending a lot of time just watching these characters drive through Mexico. We know there's a reason director Denis Villeneuve is lingering here, watching this convoy of SUVs just driving for so long. He's taking his time getting us to some horrible destination.

After their long, tense drive, they cross the border back into the United States and the soundtrack, in a brief, almost imperceptible moment, loosens the tension, seeming to resolve and fade out as we see a small moment of relief pass over Kate's face. Then she turns around and sees a massive traffic jam ahead of them and the music which has faded out for just a moment comes back.

When the violence kicks off, it happens brutally and quickly. One man from a nearby car, a pistol in hand, has fear in his face. Villeneuve forces us to stare at his face for an uncomfortable amount of time, never letting us forget that this is a human being despite the threat he poses to Kate and her team. The shooting starts. He and everyone in his car are killed almost immediately. After a moment, the same thing repeats in another car before a final, tense assassination attempt on Kate herself.

The scene ends with the convoy of SUVs driving off, leaving us to view civilians looking over bodies left lying in the road in an event. It's a tense rendering of a different a war that can explode and fade into the background, leaving sad reminders in its wake.