The Infiltrator

Directed by Brad Furman with a screenplay written by his Mother, Ellen Brown Furman, Bryan Cranston's latest appearance on the big screen is a classic American crime film. The Infiltrator is based on an autobiography written by Robert Mazur, a U.S. customs agent, who in the 1980s helped bust Pablo Escobar by going undercover as a corrupt businessman. I will make no attempts to hide the fact that my knowledge of Escobar and the drug world is limited but I have started watching Narcos so I figure it's only a matter of time until I know everything, right? The film took just under 1 year and a half from the first day of filming to its premiere in Florida. When you see the film, if you ever do, it's astonishing how much the production crew were able to achieve considering how elaborate some shots and sequences were.

The film looks like another Wolf of Wall Street on the surface but is clearly very different. Rather than focusing on the drugs and on Escobar like in Narcos, The Infiltrator follows an undercover operation that was designed to discover the route of the drug money flowing through southern Florida. This film was based on a true story and has occasional video footage and image stills of the real events intercut with the film. And in true Hollywood style, the credits are rolled after a quick round up of the fates that met those involved along with side by side images of the actor and the real person they were playing. As a result of the operation, CEO's and upper management in several banks that were knowingly laundering drug money were convicted. In fact, throughout the film it's easier to sympathise with the drug lords than it is with the international bankers. In part, this was due to the focus placed on Roberto Alcaino's family in the second half of the film. I had to remind myself that these men were responsible for deaths in several countries and endangered their families lives on their own accord. The plot definitely puts an emphasis on the individuals and their families and how they are affected but deliberately limits the drug use on screen almost to help viewers forget the real issue.

Cranston is joined by Diane Kruger for the second half of the film as she plays his fiancé. The two have a lovely, plutonic relationship on screen. Even when the two embrace after witnessing the death of a business partner, there is never an assumption that the two are anything other than colleagues and friends. I respected the decision to portray the characters in this way and to avoid an unnecessary adultery subplot. Besides Kruger and Cranston the cast of The Infiltrator aren't the most recognisable in Hollywood. However the ensemble cast, especially when all together in the climactic wedding scene, were wonderful and truly compelling in their roles. Special mention goes to Benjamin Bratt who definitely deserves more roles, more recognition and more beard! Damn, his beard looked good. I do hear he's involved in the upcoming Doctor Strange so fingers crossed his facial hair is here to stay!

If you are interested in the Medellin cartel or the individuals involved in Escobar's downfall, I recommend this film. Equally, if you're a fan of well paced and tense crime dramas then The Infiltrator should be next up on your to watch list.