Taylor Sheridan’s specialties lie in various pursuits. One moment he is an excellent actor, and the next he is writing the most compelling story of the year. He has gained immense recognition for his talents in writing. Be it through Yellowstone or movies like Wind River. However, his first-ever writing credit can be given to Sicario; a 2015 masterpiece directed by Denis Villeneuve.
With this and the older interview where he talked about his focus when writing, a clear shift needs to be undone.
Taylor Sheridan and His Writing
In 2015, Taylor Sheridan gave an in-depth interview with Variety, where he talked about the kind of research he does when making a film like Sicario. The film follows themes of war in Mexico and the fallout that comes from the horrors experienced there. During the interview, he revealed an interesting piece of information. While many would expect his research to consist of looking into factual information, he mentioned that that was not what the movie was about.
Here’s the thing about the film that’s worth noting: The landscape is cartels and the drug war. But that’s not really what the movie’s about.
![A still from Sicario - Emily Blunt](https://fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/11032801/Sicario-768x432-1.jpg)
His goal was not to make everything about action and drug lords, but to showcase what is at the center of the movie; human ethics and moral codes. What circumstances allow the breaking of the law, and who exactly can take it into their hands?
It’s really a broader philosophical question of what is the rule of law? Who adheres to it and do the ends justify the means? What is the consequence of a consumer nation and that appetite? Those are the things that I was really exploring, and this, coincidentally, provides the perfect landscape to explore all of them.
![A still from Sicario](https://fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/25035949/Screenshot-2024-05-25-132925.png)
He had philosophical questions that were able to be answered in this setting; explore moral boundaries, the lengths that humans can go through, and the darker sides of a consumer-driven, capitalistic nation. He did not much care for the cartels and the violence, but they allowed him to get the answers he was seeking and even helped the audience experience how humans react in such situations.
Taylor Sheridan Has Shifted Priorities
Taylor Sheridan’s writing, among other things, helped the film shine and get the acclaim that it did. There is no denying that when he explores themes surrounding the human psyche, audiences absolutely love it. This is why the newer episodes of Yellowstone have confused audiences quite a lot.
![Taylor Sheridan in Yellowstone I Paramount Network](https://fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/16005626/taylor-sheridan-as-travis-wheatley-in-yellowstone.jpg)
Shifting from its core themes of reality and family drama, the series had started to become more about the Western, cowboy dynamic. While there is no denying that there is an allure to such a setting, that on its own does not work frequently.
At the end of the day, Sheridan writes stories about the human experience. That is where his specialties lie, and those are the kinds of stories fans enjoy the most; of morals and the complexities of human thought, not concepts like war and cowboys. There is no denying that if Yellowstone shifted its focus back to where it originally was, it would be greatly appreciated by fans.
Sicario and Yellowstone are available for streaming on Lions Gate Play and Peacock respectively.