STACK #136 Feb 2016

DVD & BD FEATURE

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SOME BORDERS SHOULDN’T BE CROSSED Almost half of the 40,000 people killed in Mexico in the last eight years have lost their lives on Mexican borders. Here are four more of the world’s most dangerous frontiers… AFGHANISTAN & PAKISTAN This lawless frontier is populated by Taliban militants and subject to drone strikes. COLOMBIA & PANAMA Virtually impenetrable jungle that’s controlled by guerrilla and paramilitary groups. IRAQ & IRAN Largely unmarked – one step in the wrong direction and you can wind up in a Tehran prison. NORTH KOREA & SOUTH KOREA Almost two million troops and nuclear weapons. A war zone waiting to erupt.

Seasoned actor Victor Garber talks about his supporting role in SICARIO and the war on drugs with Scott Hocking.

“It was very easy to for me to adopt that sensibility, but it’s all kind of implied,” he says. “That’s the beauty of the writing and I think that’s why they cast me in the role, because they knew that was something I’d be able to bring to the table.” Mexican cartels and the war on drugs are a regular fixture in popular entertainment, whether it’s Steven Soderbergh’s Oscar-winning Traffic or TV’s Breaking Bad . Garber believes this popularity is simply indicative of the world we live in today. “We’re living it, and it’s seemingly impossible to stop. Within that,

to even more striking effect in Sicario , and Garber notes that he is a filmmaker with a very specific vision, although the mood on the set didn’t always reflect the darkness of the material. “He knows what he wants and you have to figure out how to give it to him,” he says. “And when you give what he wants, you know it. We

W ith a wide body of work in both film and television, Canadian actor Victor Garber is a familiar face. Frequently cast as diplomats, congressmen and other authority figures, Garber’s most recognisable role is undoubtedly shipbuilder Thomas Andrews in James Cameron’s Titanic. “ Titanic is still the one,” the actor confirms. “That movie continues to resonate with people.” In Sicario , director Denis Villenueve’s searing thriller on the tactics employed by American black ops in the war against the Mexican drug cartels, Garber plays FBI regional director Dave Jennings, the boss of agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt), who is plunged into a covert mission that crosses a border where the law no longer applies. “I thought it was a great script, and that’s primarily what attracts me to any job that I do,” Garber says. “I thought it was very intense and was intrigued at how Denis would handle it because it’s so violent and dark. And I admire Emily Blunt tremendously, so I wanted to do it from the very beginning, and was glad that I did.” Villeneuve has a flair for creating foreboding atmosphere and a palpable sense of danger, as demonstrated in his prior features Prisoners and Enemy . It’s a technique that’s used

DVD & BD

This movie is so graphic and realistic – it’s what entertainment has become.

the potential for drama and intrigue is limitless. It’s easier to pay to see a movie than to live it. This movie is so graphic and realistic – it’s what entertainment has become.“

kind of found our way together and I ended up loving working for him, and also with Emily and Josh Brolin. I had worked with Josh before in Milk , so it was a great reunion. There was a lot of laughter and fun as well as dealing with the drama of the situation. It turned out to be a great working experience.” At the suggestion that his character is a father figure of sorts to Emily Blunt’s Kate, as well as being her FBI superior, Garber credits the economy of Taylor Sheridan’s screenplay.

• Sicario is out now

FEBRUARY 2016

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