Sicario

If you want a crime drama that treats its mystery as more than a puzzle, Sicario is available in Australia on Stan, and in the US on Hulu right now. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Emily Blunt sets the tone, and the ensemble matches it scene for scene. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Stan.

Sicario is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. Sicario treats its mystery as a means, not an end in itself. An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. And Mexico. Credit to Emily Blunt and Benicio del Toro for grounding it — this is a cast that earns the twists. It hit screens in 2015. Sicario is at its best in the quiet scenes between the plot beats, where the character work actually happens. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

If you cannot walk away from a good mystery, Sicario will keep you hooked. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Emily Blunt carries scenes that would sink a lesser production. The resolution feels inevitable rather than arbitrary, which is rarer than it sounds.