'Sicario' With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
March 3, 2026 · Sicario (2015) · Action · Crime · Drama · 2:05:55 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Bill SimmonsJosh Brolin has the second best career of any 80s child actor, behind only Christian Bale▶ 34:10
Sean FennesseyRemove Sly Stallone and Tom Hardy from Best Supporting Actor nominations, add Harrison Ford for The Force Awakens and Benicio del Toro for Sicario▶ 36:01
Would Roger Ebert Have Liked This Movie
Bill SimmonsChatGPT said Ebert would probably have given it three and a half to four stars, noting that Ebert valued films that wrestled with ethical complexity and loved intelligent thrillers with political weight▶ 37:10
Most Rewatchable Scene
Chris RyanAgrees with the opening scene, particularly praising the shot of her getting blood out of her hair and discussing the scene's functionality in establishing the level of depravity▶ 39:02
Sean FennesseyAgrees with the opening scene, emphasizing how it frames the movie as both a horror movie and war movie▶ 39:26
Picking Nits
Bill SimmonsTwo main complaints: what's the plan after the strangling scene (how does he get away with killing an FBI agent), and why is Ted carrying around the cartel money band as his wallet instead of getting a different wallet▶ 1:00:15
Chris RyanAgrees with Bill's complaints about Ted's poor decision-making, noting that Ted striking out in slow pitch softball shows he's not a brain genius▶ 1:00:50
Sean FennesseyExplains that Ted being a flawed hire by the cartel makes sense because he's not really in control of situations▶ 1:00:28
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsPraised Sean's 'stealth homage' research and Chris's seven-level okay motherfucker breakdown▶ 1:04:38
Chris RyanBrolin saying 'can I interest you in this tasty beverage' at the motel is a Pulp Fiction reference. Seven-level 'okay motherfucker' escalation during Juarez border crossing sequence▶ 1:05:38
Sean FennesseyJeffrey Donovan's character is based on a former ranger in Norman Schwarzkopf's security detail - a bespectacled, yoked, scary but dorky guy. Three stealth homages: Del Toro's state police line referencing Traffic, ignoring the maid scene homaging Thief, and Mexican cop winking with son scene matching Jaws father-son moment▶ 1:04:18
Butch's Girlfriend Award
Bill SimmonsThe movie's density and complexity - requires understanding CIA/FBI mechanics and multiple viewings to fully comprehend▶ 1:07:21
Sean FennesseyKate still being insistent on doing things the right way even after the tunnel incident, saying 'I'm gonna tell on you'▶ 1:08:36
What's Aged the Worst
Bill SimmonsDiscussed the awkwardness of Emily Blunt's intimate scene with Jon Bernthal from the perspective of her husband John Krasinski having to watch it at premieres, but framed it more as commentary than something that aged poorly▶ 1:14:40
Chris RyanDaniel Kaluuya's character being named Reggie Wayne in the screenplay, which feels like Taylor Sheridan just borrowed the name from Colts player Reggie Wayne▶ 1:13:13
Sean FennesseyThe portrayal of Juarez as the scariest city on earth - the city has significantly improved since the screenplay was written in 2010-2011 and has fallen out of the top 15 most dangerous cities▶ 1:13:26
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsJosh Brolin — Josh Brolin turned down the film after doing Everest, but Roger Deakins convinced him to join. For Emily Blunt alternatives, couldn't find better options than Anne Hathaway or Amy Adams. Kate Winslet from 2005 time-machined forward would be perfect.▶ 1:23:56
Sean FennesseyScarlett Johansson — Suggested sliding doors scenario where Scarlett Johansson does this instead of Black Widow for Marvel▶ 1:24:42
Sequel/Prequel/Limited Series/Remake
Bill SimmonsPrestige TV series with all-black cast that could evolve with current news, comparing it to how Homeland should have worked with different conflicts each season▶ 1:47:09
Chris RyanMultiple ideas: would take a third movie, prequel about Alejandro as Mexican prosecutor/Colombian cartel assassin, Kate as small town sheriff after leaving Arizona, and Jeffrey Donovan spinoff▶ 1:47:44
Is This Movie Better With
Bill SimmonsDanny Archer — Expected Wayne Jenkins but acknowledged CR chose Zane Lowe; suggested adding Danny Archer to the possibilities▶ 1:49:05
Chris RyanZane Lowe — Zane Lowe - talking to Ted before he goes into the bar, giving him a motivational speech about rising like a phoenix and not using the rubber bands of the Sonora cartel▶ 1:48:27
Sean FennesseyNoted that when Benicio's finger goes in the ear, the character does say 'god damn' like Wayne Jenkins would▶ 1:49:28
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Chris RyanNo to Kate shooting Alejandro, but questions if it would be better if the last shot is Alejandro walking away from the apartment building and not going to Mexico one more time▶ 1:50:05
Best Double Feature
Bill SimmonsFast Five — Fast Five paired with Sicario - Fast Five as the happier, entertaining version, then Sicario▶ 1:53:59
Chris RyanSicario: Day of the Soldado — Sicario 2: Soldado - to keep the Graver and Alejandro train rolling▶ 1:53:47
Sean FennesseyKing of New York — Abel Ferrara's King of New York - another vicious movie about the way things are▶ 1:53:52
Who Won the Movie
Bill SimmonsTaylor Sheridan — Taylor Sheridan - calls him the obvious winner because he literally won the movie and it jump started his 11+ year career▶ 1:54:53
Chris RyanTaylor Sheridan — Taylor Sheridan - changed from initially having Benicio written down, argues it sent Sheridan on an incredible trajectory making him one of the most powerful people in entertainment▶ 1:54:35
Sean FennesseyTaylor Sheridan — Had Benicio written down but found the Taylor Sheridan case very compelling▶ 1:57:04
Movies Referenced (80)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apocalypse Now (1979) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 5:16 |
| Limitless (2011) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 3:24 |
| Fast Five (2011) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 1:38:10 |
| Aliens (1986) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 2:04:53 |
| Jaws (1975) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 43:11 |
| Scarface (1983) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 25:46 |
| Spotlight (2015) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 15:15 |
| Barbie (2023) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:30:57 |
| Edge of Tomorrow (2014) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 25:28 |
| Oppenheimer (2023) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 1:31:05 |
| The Irishman (2019) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 25:19 |
| Wind River (2017) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 56:43 |
Directors Referenced (10)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denis Villeneuve | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Blade Runner 2049 | ▶ 2:19 |
| Ridley Scott | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | The Martian, Blade Runner | ▶ 4:18 |
| Felipe Fernández del Paso | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | From Dusk Till Dawn, Desperado | ▶ 43:27 |
| Michael Mann | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans | ▶ 13:13 |
| Christopher Nolan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | Tenet, Interstellar, Inception | ▶ 13:12 |
| Juan Diego Medellin | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | Extraction | ▶ 1:01:31 |
| Paul Thomas Anderson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Punch-Drunk Love, Licorice Pizza, There Will Be Blood | ▶ 23:46 |
| Robert Zemeckis | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Back to the Future, Forrest Gump | ▶ 12:29 |
| Stanley Kubrick | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon | ▶ 4:18 |
| W.K. Border | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 4:55 |
Actors Referenced (53)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kate Winslet | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 34 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Revolutionary Road, Titanic | ▶ 6:39 |
| Benicio Del Toro | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 14 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | Sicario, The Usual Suspects | ▶ 2:48 |
| Emily Blunt | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 12 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Edge of Tomorrow, The Devil Wears Prada, The Adjustment Bureau | ▶ 2:48 |
| Jon Bernthal | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | The Wolf of Wall Street, King Richard | ▶ 34:05 |
| Leopoldo Juarez | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | ▶ 41:09 |
| Matt Graver | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | Cinderella Man | ▶ 6:43 |
| Josh Brolin | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | No Country for Old Men | ▶ 2:48 |
| River Phoenix | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | My Own Private Idaho, Stand by Me, The Mosquito Coast | ▶ 26:17 |
| Tom Hardy | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | Inception, The Dark Knight Rises | ▶ 36:08 |
| John Krasinski | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | A Quiet Place | ▶ 1:14:59 |
| Daniel Kaluuya | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | Get Out, Black Panther | ▶ 14:20 |
| Jeffrey Donovan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | Changeling, Sicario: Day of the Soldado | ▶ 41:39 |
Writers Referenced (4)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Sheridan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Hell or High Water, Wind River | ▶ 2:45 |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 36:56 | |
| Matt Greenberg | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Reign of Fire | ▶ 1:16:50 |
| Nic Pizzolatto | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | The Magnificent Seven | ▶ 1:18:53 |
Cinematographers Referenced (3)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Grantland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | The Other Guys | ▶ 2:55 |
| Roger Deakins | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan | Blade Runner 2049, Skyfall, No Country for Old Men | ▶ 27:53 |
| Zach Graber | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | We Are Your Friends | ▶ 31:53 |