“Apocalypse Now,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “Full Metal Jacket” represent the pinnacle of war-drama films — “Sicario” stands toe-to-toe with all of them.

“Sicario,” directed by Denis Vileneuve and starring Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin, beautifully portrays the horrors and casualties of the rarely-discussed war on drugs.

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Like “Apocalypse Now,” this movie expresses a present-day war in the most harsh and unrelenting way. The realistic representation of war makes this movie impactful by not romanticizing or sugar-coating such an intense situation.

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The film hits a grotesque mark right as it begins. A SWAT team raids a drug home, which turns into a scene that would make a horror master flinch. Dead bodies are gruesomely scattered throughout the home and “Sicario” makes no attempt to hide its audience from them.

This and the movie’s dark, yet realistic, side characters strike a nerve. By the end of the film you are sweating, frightened and beyond emotionally wrecked.

A combination of terrific writing, directing and acting makes every character multi-dimensional.

Alejandro Gillick, played by Benicio del Toro, is the best example of this, as he represents what a person can become in a war.

His background is mysterious and he represents a multifaceted character. Sometimes he is the ruthless assassin, other times he is broken, empathetic savior — in his own twisted way.

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His character represents the themes of the film and makes you feel a multitude of emotions towards him, a true sign of a great persona.

Stars: 5 out of 5