In advance of the Cannes premiere later this week, the first official poster for Denis Villeneuve's drug trafficking thriller Sicario. From a script by Taylor Sheridan, the film stars Emily Blunt as an idealistic FBI agent who is enlisted by members of a government task force (Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro) to take out a Mexican cartel boss.

Sicario reunites Villeneuve, one of the most promising young directors, with his Prisoners cinematographer, Roger Deakins, one of the greatest living directors of photography, and that's about as good a reason to see any movie you're going to get. Factor in the wonderful cast, toplined by the always exceptional Emily Blunt, and you've got one of the most exciting films of the year. Check out some images from Sicario below.

Villeneuve directs unapologetically mature films that blur the line between the heroes and the bad guys, making him an ideal candidate to take a subject as complicated and grim as drug trafficking and the Mexican cartel. All signs indicate that Villeneuve is staying true to form with Sicario. While speaking to Steve last year, Blunt called it a "dark movie" with a "very interesting debate about the drug war."

We'll find out how Sicario stacks up in the critics eyes when it debuts at Cannes later this week. The film opens in limited release on September 18th, followed by a wide release on September 25th. Until then you can check out the first official poster below and click here to keep up to date on the latest Sicario news.

Here’s the official synopsis for Sicario:

In Mexico, Sicario means hitman. In the lawless border area stretching between the U.S. and Mexico, an idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by an elite government task force official to aid in the escalating war against drugs. Led by an enigmatic consultant with a questionable past, the team sets out on a clandestine journey forcing Kate to question everything that she believes in order to survive.