Forget Yellowstone, the Best Neo-Western on Streaming Is Officially Back

The Taylor Sheridan universe at Paramount has been one of the most dependable franchises in recent years. This all started with Yellowstone, a neo-Western in the same vein as criminal family enterprises like the ones featured in Sons of Anarchy. Though initially airing on the Paramount Channel, the hidden story of the Duttons took off. It wasn’t long before Sheridan was known for the violent family seeking to hold on to their way of life before modernization took their lucrative ranch from them.

Yellowstone and all the respective spin-offs have the attention of fans, but it is far from the best content in Sheridan’s filmography. That honor goes to the creative’s first breakout screenplay, Sicario. Over a decade after its premiere, the modern Western is taking hold on HBO Max, reminding fans about what was so special about Sheridan’s perspective in the first place. More nuanced and intricate than Yellowstone, Sicario was more than deserving of all its accolades.

‘Sicario’ Is Less Self-Indulgent Than ‘Yellowstone’

Every one of Taylor Sheridan’s works has social commentary interspersed into it. Yellowstone is the most obvious, as it waxes poetic about the time of the cowboy disappearing in the face of the evil city slickers. Social commentary is like any other tool and needs to be wielded properly. Yellowstone is on the nose while Sicario is a more subtle Western that fires on all cylinders.

It doesn’t just have Sheridan’s sharp writing to thank, but the immersive direction of Denis Villeneuve, years before he rose high enough to take on the ambitious task of Dune. The mixing of these two masters of craft resulted in a movie that only comes around once in a generation. Sicario stars Emily Blunt as FBI agent Kate Macer, who joins a joint task force with the CIA to hunt down Mexican drug cartels.

Though a trained professional, Kate is quickly horrified at the level of violence that occurs when she crosses into Juárez with the rest of the team. These are high-stakes operations, the likes of which she has never seen before. She is forced to commit violence in self-defense and finds herself questioning her place on the team. Sicario is lauded for its realism and beautiful cinematography juxtaposed with its gore and brutality.

This isn’t a pro-military propaganda film that it was in danger of being. Instead, it portrays Kate’s disillusionment with the CIA as she realizes that they are using her and how heinous their methods are. Sicario will always stand out among Sheridan’s follow-ups because of how grounded and unsettling it is. Viewers come away understanding that this is the way America operates. It contrasts with the more soapy plotlines that occur on the Dutton Ranch. Sicario represents America as it is, not as some wish it to be.

Blunt commands the screen any time she is on, and Benicio Del Toro’s role as Alejandro Gillick will be remembered as one of his best. Sicario kicked off Sheridan’s neo-Western theatrical trilogy, which discussed themes of American culture. It was the start for him that allowed him to create Yellowstone, but no project will ever measure up to his best.