#submarinesandwhich

So far, we have seen countless examples of characters who blur the lines between a hero and villain. However, I think that Alejandro is the most conflicting. I say this because as Sicario progresses, we see him doing pretty heroic acts like saving Kate’s life, defending the team at the border, and wanting to stop the clear enemy (drug lord). However, right at the close of the movie, we see him acting selfishly and against the law, shooting Kate in the chest to finish his murder, completing the murder, and then threatening to kill Kate in the closing scene. If we are trying to lump him into the hero role or the villain role, it is close to impossible. Is it wrong that he is murdering to avenge his family? If you answer yes, then you must view Kate as a villain as well because her motive for killing the drug lord is extremely similar to Alejandro’s. I believe that, by the end of the movie, we are supposed to assume that deep-down, Alejandro is a hero, or at least a good guy. This is supported by the fact that Kate, the protagonist that we follow and empathize with the entire film, makes this decision for us by not shooting him. The last scene with Alejandro and Kate shows that she places more importance on his heroism (dare I say friendship?) then of his shortcomings.