The Infiltrator (2016)

Review

127min

Genre:       Fact-based, Crime, Drama

Director:    Brad Furman

Cast:         Bryan Cranston, John Leguizamo, Diane Kruger…and more

Writers:     Robert Mazur and Ellen Sue Brown

-Synopsis-

Crime drama set around Miami during the 1980s Reagan “War-on-Drugs” and based on a true story, starring Bryan Cranston as a U.S. government agent who goes undercover to break Colombian drug trafficking operations in Florida headed by the infamous Pablo Escobar and his fearsome cartel.

There’s been no shortage of screen drama about Colombian drug cartels and the South Florida drug trade over the years; from the iconic ‘Miami Vice’ 80’s TV show which started it all, to films and documentaries involving Pablo Escobar and his “work” like ‘Blow’ and ‘Cocaine Cowboys’, all the way to the current acclaimed Netflix series ‘Narcos’.

But armed with the talents of Bryan Cranston leading a solid cast, not to mention the support and experiences of Robert Mazur on whom the film is based; director Brad Furman puts together his own thrilling biographical drama which explores the nuts-and-bolts of a fascinating operation, set in the backdrop of the misguided and unwinnable, not mention perpetual US “War-on-Drugs”.

Cranston stars as Bob Mazur himself; a U.S. Customs & Drug Enforcement Agent who in the mid 1980s changed tack by going after the cartel’s money rather than the drugs, posing as a wealthy connected money launderer for “premiere” clients alongside his partner and fellow agent Emir Abreu, played by John Leguizamo who ironically will star in 2018’s ‘El Patron’ as Pablo Escobar.

If you’re looking for a flashy and irreverent gangster drama or something Scorsese-like, you’ll probably be disappointed here; although ‘The Infiltrator’ has its share of brutality and some dark humour, this isn’t a film which relies on shock value or ultra-violence. Instead director Brad Fruman focuses on the intricacies of a complicated crime operation, combined with a gritty character drama which stays mostly true to the real story… while taking plenty of artistic license of course.

The film excels as a character drama which infuses tension and danger in the right places, but builds methodically and forensically as it unravels an intricate investigation which took down over 100 traffickers and corrupt bankers, and eventually even global financial institutions.  But it only skims the surface of the moral implications of the US-led “War on Drugs” and its duplicitous nature.

With the job of crafting a complex drama and only two hours to work with, Furman & co. only make some passing mentions of the government’s shady practices in the form of the Iran-Contra scandal and Noriega; missing the opportunity to really shine a light on how government institutions widely played both sides in a so-called war which they fought and benefited from simultaneously.

‘The Infiltrator’ isn’t exactly the most original “undercover cop” drama, there’s more than a hint of ‘Donnie Brasco’ both in terms  of execution and style; particularly in the narrative of an agent with an inner conflict between his mission and the emotional attachments he develops to the people he must betray, not to mention the toll it takes on his real family life.

But thanks to an expert and nuanced lead performance from Cranston, which brings an extraordinary story to life, ‘The Infiltrator’ is captivating while lifting the veil of an element of a global illegal industry which made cartel bosses like Escobar and the Ochoa Brothers some of the richest men in the world, while majorly impacting our society and destroying countless lives.

The Bottom Line…

A gripping dramatisation of a captivating true story, anchored by an utterly convincing lead turn from Bryan Cranston; ‘The Infiltrator’ may walk through distinctly familiar cinematic territory but explores it in a way that’s eye-opening and entertaining throughout, proving that the international illegal drug trade is as fascinating a subject as ever.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Donnie Brasco (1997)

Johnny Depp stars in a dramatisation of the true story of FBI agent Joe Pistone, who infiltrated the New York mafia in the 1970’s under the alias “Donnie Brasco” and helped to bring down a crime ring while the line between real life and his mob persona became blurred.

Directed by Mike Newell and starring Johnny Depp, Al Pacino and Michael Madsen among others.

Comments

comments

Comments are closed.