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Index | 61 reviews in total |
I heard grumblings from two guys who were leaving the theater behind me
after seeing THE INFILTRATOR that this movie did not have nearly enough
action/bloodshed for them. I think they were expecting another SCARFACE
or GOODFELLAS. That is not what this movie is. This movie is a
character study of a man who goes undercover with the Pablo Escobar
drug cartel and develops relationships/friendships with these bad guys
in order to bring them down. The real conflict in this film is not the
action, but rather, the RE-ACTION of "the infiltrator" - will he
remember that he is just playing a role to bring down the bad guys, or
will he lose himself in the role and the relationships and become a bad
guy himself?
If you are looking for an action movie, this movie will be a little too
slow for you. If you are looking for good acting and a strong character
study, then this is a very enjoyable film.
Much of that enjoyment hinges on the performance of Bryan Cranston as
Robert Mazur, "The Infiltrator". We follow him as he dives deep into
this criminal organization. Cranston is in about 90% of the scenes of
this movie, so his performance better be strong or this will be one
long movie, indeed. Fortunately for us, his performance is better than
strong. He continues his string of fascinating/watchable performances
and he more than anchors this film and makes it worth watching.
Ably assisting him is a strong supporting cast - Amy Ryan (as his
boss), Jason Issaacs (somewhat wasted as the District Attorney),
Benjamin Bratt (as one of the main bad guys), Olympia Dukakis (in a fun
turn as his aunt) and Diane Kruger (defying age as another agent posing
as his fiancé - when I first saw her I thought "that's a young Diane
Kruger" until I realized it WAS Diane Kruger!). Finally, John Leguizamo
as Mazur's partner, Emir Abreu is TERRIFIC. The best performance I've
seen from him in quite some time. If this movie was a little better and
a little later in the season, I'd be touting him for an Academy Award
nomination.
If you want blood, guts and action, wait for the Jason Bourne film. If
you want an interesting, gripping film that is well acted check out the
Infiltrator - you'll be glad you did!
7 (out of 10 stars) and you can take that to the Bank (of Marquis)
Bryan Cranston is not your typical movie star, although he seems like
it. Underneath the cool-high-school-dad exterior, there's an actor of
great depth and unexpected power. You'll know it when you see a scene
involving his character, said character's wife, and a restaurant on
their anniversary dinner. Cranston seems to have benefited during his
years as Walter 'Heisenberg' White on TV's Breaking Bad. And it has
contributed greatly in this biographical crime thriller, about as
straightforward and predictable as a stab in the gut.
Yes, Brad Furman's (The Lincoln Lawyer, Runner Runner) directorial
efforts here will not be known for their signature riffs, as there is
none to speak of. It's standard thriller fare, the kind that would do
well had it been released between the late 1980s and early 1990s; pure
genre fare that caters to mostly adult film-goers that aren't
interested in seeing computer-generated superpowers or rubble. In other
words, unoriginal yet mature, grown-up stuff.
The Infiltrator, however, is textbook example of how great casting can
elevate shopworn genre material into solid entertainment, as the
always-reliable Cranston has proved here. Sure, he is strongly
supported by a bevy of intriguing cast members including Benjamin
Bratt, John Leguizamo and the lovely Diane Kruger; but in portraying
real-life undercover agent Robert Mazur shimmying his way up through
Pablo Escobar's criminal empire, Cranston's understated but strong
everyman presence confidently carries the movie solely. That quality
alone replaces the tediousness often found in similar true-crime movies
with an intense amount of uneasy suspense and grounded credibility,
providing lots of fun for Cranston fans as long as they do not expect
anything groundbreaking.
Breaking Good, indeed.
"The Infiltrator" brings the story of undercover agent Robert Mazur. As
the movie opens (with Rush's "Tom Sawyer" blasting away), we are
reminded that it is "Tampa, Florida 1985", and we see Mazur at work, in
what turns out the be the last phase of an undercover job. Due to his
length of service, Maruz is offered the possibility to retire with full
benefits. Instead, to the dismay of his wife Ev, he decides to take on
one more job, far more complicated and dangerous than he ever imagined.
As this point we're not even 15 minutes into the movie, but to tell you
more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for
yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this movie is directed by Brad Furman, who
previously brought us the Matthew McConaughey-fronted thriller "The
Lincoln Lawyer". Screenplay is by Ellen Brown Furman (I imagine related
to the director, but don't know for a fact). This is a narco crime
drama that is essentially "The Sting" on steroids: can Maruz (in his
undercover role as Bob Musella) and his rookie partner Kathy Ertz pull
off a sting of gigantic proportions, right under the noses of the
feared Colombia drug cartel of Pablo Escobar? As you have probably
noted, the connection with Pablo Escobar is played up in the movie's
marketing materials. The reality is that Escobar is perhaps hovering
over the movie in spirit, but the movie in fact is a lot more about
what happened with BCCI (the UK's Bank of Credit and Commerce
International), the 7th largest private bank at that time. (And if you
are looking for a true Escobar crime drama, check out "Escobar:
Paradise Lost", starring Benicio Del Toro and Josh Hutcherson.) "The
Infiltrator" has many great moments, and is tense almost from the
get-go. Bryan Cranston, on the heels of the excellent "Trumbo" last
year (but still best known for his work on TV's "Breaking Bad"),
delivers yet another winning performance. But the big surprise for me
was the outstanding work from Diane Kruger as the rookie undercover
partner. She is superb (aside from being superbly beautiful). Lots of
great songs throughout the movie, including The Who's "Eminence Front",
which plays not once but twice in the movie!
"The Infiltrator" opened this weekend and I couldn't wait to see it.
The Friday evening screening where I saw this at here in Cincinnati was
attended very nicely, somewhat to my (pleasant) surprise. I found "The
Infiltrator" to be a riveting narco crime-drama, the likes of which we
don't get to see enough, and would encourage you to check it out, be it
in theaters, on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray. "The Infiltrator" is
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I could not avoid borrowing the qualifications used by a Web site from
Toronto when writing about this film. It's 'boring and watchable'. An
unusual combination indeed. And yet, this is exactly how I feel about
'The Infiltrator' directed by Brad Furman - a talented director who
succeeded much better IMO with The Lincoln Lawyer.
I must also confess from the start that I am not a fan of the 'true
crime' genre. Reality has the disadvantage of being in many cases
confusing, and bringing it to screen demands a level of processing that
elevates it above what we - as spectators - live in our daily lives.
After all we do not pay the price of the ticket to live inside the
cinema theaters the same lives as we do in the fresh air outside.
Script writers and directors approaching the genre face the dilemma of
either sticking to the truth of the story (and risk to be drown in the
details) or of 'dramatizing' the reality to make it better fit to
screen (and risk losing credibility). Succeeding is not only an
exercise in balance but also requires the art of finding the artistic
truth that makes the film valuable and attractive for viewers beyond
the documentary news.
The element that makes 'The Infiltrator' different is the building of
the relationship between anti-drug cop Robert Mazur (Bryan Cranston)
and the drug dealers and the bankers that financed the business in the
crime organization that he infiltrated in the 80s playing the role of a
money launderer. There is tension in the building of the undercover
team and the way they gain the trust of the lethally criminals they
deal with, but the difference is really the fact that Mazur not only
starts living as the character he poses as, but also seems to develop
feelings of real sympathy (if not friendship) towards his
enemies-in-law.
The result is to some extent convincing, but it takes a long way to get
to it, almost the totality of the two hours film. The rest of the time
is spent into telling a cops vs. drug dealers story that is not too
original and not too different from so many other stories we have
already seen on screen. The inflation of real life characters brought
too screen because they were around in the real story, but not really
living a screen life of their own makes much of the introduction part,
and much of what happens next confusing. Bryan Cranston is OK in his
role, but an actor with more charisma could have made the character
more interesting. The best acting in the film came from John Leguizamo,
an actor I have seen in many supporting roles, and I am glad to see
that he gets near more consistent roles towards a lead role in the
future that he certainly deserves.
The Infiltrator is not the big crime film 'inspired by a true story'
that I am waiting for.
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I love factual films, so was compelled to see this billed as based on
true events.
Set in the mid 1980's, Bryan Cranston goes undercover as Robert Mazur
who brings down the Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar and the corrupt
bank (BCCI), the bank that launders truly enormous (in the billions)
sums of money.
Not a terrible film but the storyline has been done many times and I
couldn't help thinking the film didn't deliver anything particularly
new. Not an outstanding film with very few memorable scenes, the only
that comes to mind is the anniversary cake scene.
If you're a Bryan Cranston fan you'll enjoy this. However, if you want
to see a film based on the war on drugs then there are better examples,
for instance, the fantastic 'Sicario (2015)', or to a lesser degree and
with a comedy edge 'American Hustle'.
There are many reasons to like The Infiltrator. It takes place in the
'80s, it's suspenseful, and it gives us a really gritty inside look at
what life is like for a good guy who goes undercover to work with the
Colombian drug cartel.
Which is what Bryan Cranston's character does. He's a guy on the verge
of retirement and could easily leave to spend time with his wife and
kids, but takes this one last job. And it proves to be the toughest one
yet as he poses as a money launderer to try and take down Pablo
Escobar's entire drug trafficking network.
It takes place in the Reagan-'80s and so there's this whole overt
camera filter over the whole film. It's not too distracting, but it's
also not terribly necessary. But it's minor.
The whole thing plays out as one giant sting operation. And the
filmmakers understand that in a 2 hour movie, you don't need to run
through all the details in one quick dialogue-filled scene. However, it
would've been nice if they had given us a little more along the way.
It starts unraveling a little over an hour in. There's about a 30
minute stretch where you're looking at the person sitting next to you
saying, "What's happening?" There's a lot left unexplained, but I guess
there was more concern about the movie not becoming any longer.
The film is long at 127 minutes, but it's never really an issue. We
need the time to process what's happening and for Cranston's character
to evolve over the course of the film.
It tightens back up in the home stretch, culminating in an emotionally
impressive final scene.
The always-under-appreciated John Leguizamo plays Cranston's partner
and does a very good and believable job.
There seems to be this slightly neglected theme intermittently placed
throughout the film about the American economy collapsing without
laundered money. It's an interesting idea and one that should have been
touched upon way more.
Twizard Rating: 80
I had been waiting to watch this movie for some time so when I finally did I was really stoked to check it out. Bryan Cranston in the movie definitely peaked my interest as he did a really great job in Breaking Bad. Let me start by saying I thought the production value of this movie was excellent. The retro vibe in the movie really helps sell it and in some sense is almost comical. Those huge 80s cell phones, the awkward 80s clothes, it really helps sell this movie and create a nice vibe. However past that there really seems to be something missing from this movie. The first part of it starts out rather well. For the most part in the beginning of the movie the acting is done well and the story seems to move along at a decent pace. However toward the last 1/3 of the move it really seems like we are simply going through motions from A to B to C. And while they are able to sell some thing to the viewer in the movie, a good deal of what they were hoping for seems to be lacking. They really try to sell this idea that the main characters get caught up and attached vibe in the last 1/3 of the movie. However neither the script nor the acting really pulls that off. You never really have this sense that he is sucked in and almost guilty for being an agent. They try hard to sell it in the script but the emotional attachment simply wasn't there. There is a line at the end of the movie that really makes the failure stand out as one character says "none of your real friends went to jail today" But at no time was there any real belief that any sort of real relationship developed. Which leaves the viewer with the reality that the whole movie is just a string of scenes from A to Z but no dynamic or character development. There are two kinds of scenes in a movie. The 1st kind moves the movie forward. The second kind tells us something important about a character. There is plenty of the 1st kind in this movie. The second kind really seems to be lacking. For that reason I gave the movie a 7/10. It's an interesting story and going from point A to point Z will keep you entertained. But after watching it you will realize nothing really memorable happened in the movie and that it was just kind of a bland movie.
LJ'S QUICK MOVIE REVIEW
"I think we've been doing this backward. We've been following the drugs
to get to the bad guys. What if we chased the money?"
"The Infiltrator", starring Bryan Cranston, follows the fascinating
tale of Robert Mazur, a U.S. Customs Agent who goes undercover in a
drug cartel.
The stakes are extremely high. If Mazur's disguise isn't convincing, he
will be brutally tortured and murdered. He, along with his two
partners, have to deal with intelligent drug-lords, ruthless thugs, and
shrewd businessmen. Watch as the trio concoct risky plans and false
identities while avoiding the suspicion of their targets.
The severe tension is truly felt through the amazing performances.
Cranston steals the show, while Diane Kruger, Benjamin Bratt, and Emir
Areu are all top-notch. There are nerve-wracking moments where viewers
sincerely fear for the characters' safety.
Overall, "The Infiltrator" is a riveting and complex movie with great
direction and superb acting. If crime-dramas are your cup of tea, I
highly recommend watching it.
If you found this quick review helpful, please visit LJ's Movie Facts
on Facebook.
Greetings again from the darkness. The war on drugs has become a bit of
a punchline in the real world, but has proved to be fertile ground for
filmmaking: Sicario (2015), American Hustle (2013), Traffic (2000).
Additionally, the popular Netflix show "Narcos" takes on the same
Medellin drug cartel as this latest from director Brad Furman (The
Lincoln Lawyer, 2011). The movie is based on the true events of Robert
Mazur's book "The Infiltrator: My Secret Life Inside the Dirty Banks
Behind Pablo Escobar's Medellin Cartel" (a title that's very
descriptive, if a bit long).
Bryan Cranston continues his impressive Hollywood run this time as
Robert Mazur, the man who goes undercover to expose the
money-laundering system of the cartel. His flamboyant alter-ego is
known as Bob Musella, a character that allows Mazur (and Cranston) to
show a side not typically seen. His antics get him inside Columbian
Drug Lord Escobar's organization in the mid-1980's.
When Mazur realizes the traditional method of chasing the drugs isn't
working, he decides the age-old idiom "follow the money" might be a
better approach. This takes him inside the world of international money
laundering, and he learns that banks and governments are quite
dependent on this huge business of drug money movement.
There are specific groups of people here: the government agencies, the
small task force, the corrupt (and appreciative) bankers, the various
levels within the cartel, and even Mazur's family
all these forces
intertwine to make life difficult for Mazur and his team, and provide a
glimpse into the complexities of undercover work.
In addition to stellar work from Cranston, the cast is terrific. John
Leguizamo plays Mazur's motivated partner Abreu; Diane Kruger plays his
undercover fiancé; Juliet Aubrey is Mazur's real life wife who doesn't
much appreciate his declining the early retirement offer; Olympia
Dukakis provides a dash of comedy relief as Mazur's Aunt; Yul Vasquez
is the creepy money manager for Escobar; Benjamin Bratt plays Roberto,
Escobar's right-hand man and the key to Mazur's case; and Elena Anaya
(The Skin I Live In, 2011) is Roberto's wife. Also present are Amy
Ryan, Jason Isaacs and the always great Michael Pare.
There are a couple of standout scenes one involving chicken and
voodoo, and another with a briefcase mishap, but my favorite is the
Happy Anniversary cake scene in the restaurant where Mazur flashes his
alter-ego Musella for his real wife to see
and she is understandably
stunned.
The movie does a nice job of capturing the look and feel of the era (30
years ago), but it's somehow missing the elevated suspense it portends
to drag us and the characters through. Some elements seemed impossible
to believe why would Mazur risk his family's safety? The timeline was
a bit muddled. We aren't sure how much time has passed, but there
certainly don't seem to be enough interactions before Roberto is
telling Mazur he is "like family". It plays a bit like those romance
movies where the two leads are head over heels in love after a
conversation or two. An element is missing and it affects the level of
tension throughout the film. And that's something even a Leonard Cohen
song ("Everybody Knows") can't fix.
Ding-a-ling, and take your seats children because it's time for
Oscar-bait semi-thinky semi-sleazy undercover period pieces! You know
the type. Some high-wattage actors get all mustached, gold-chained, and
spread-collared and take on the eighties. And that's pretty much what
happens here. With Bryan Cranston!
It's not a great film, but it's a solid genre base hit and
entertaining, if a tad too drawn out.
On the tail of the successful series Narcos comes The Infiltrator, the
story of a slightly less dramatic undercover sting that chased the
money, not the coke. Bryan Cranston plays Robert Mazur, a government
agent who goes deep as Bob Musella, a mob- connected money launderer.
Teaming up with Emir Abreau (John Leguizamo) and his cover-fiancé Kathy
Ertz (Diane Kruger), Mazur brokers some cash-washing deals between the
Medellin folks and a big investment bank, and we follow the trail as it
leads deeper in and higher up.
The story is based on real-life Mazur's equally real-life book, and
frankly isn't terribly interesting (as, to be fair, I suspect many
other true bust tales probably are not). And the fact that real-life
Mazur wrote the real-life book also presumably accounts for the
ultra-pure, good-guy undergirding of Cranston's protagonist in the
film. Whitewash? So be it. The victors write the history, and all that.
Director Brad Furman (The Lincoln Lawyer) tries to spice things up with
a dusting of sexual tension between Mazur and his cover girl (will they
or won't they?); there's also a feely bromance with Benjamin Bratt, who
plays the gleaming, wholesome gentleman of the drug trade. Mazur and
Ertz form earnest friendships with Bratt and his family, hinting that
when the time comes it might be hard for Mazur to sell his pals down
the river.
Except it's not. Said friendships feel too forced and phony, and
Bratt's genteel drug lord character strains credibility -- he's just
too polite and wholesome and nice. There's no real doubt that
goodie-goodie Cranston will do the right thing in the end.
But that doesn't make The Infiltrator a bad movie. For starters,
Cranston is a really terrific actor. Even in a throwaway opening
vignette with a bowling alley waitress, his microexpressions just seep
realism. His performance here is fantastic, and it's worth watching
this movie just for him. The supporting cast is earnest and hardworking
and generally believable. There also are some pretty locations, great
fashions, flamboyant characters, classic meanies, and crisp shots. It
all comes together quite nicely.
And then it stays there. The Infiltrator falls short (long?) in its
pacing, running probably a half hour past its bedtime. It's perhaps
hard to fault Furman for this, given that he was directing from a
script his own mother wrote (no joke -- must be a first?). Happy
Mother's Day, I left your chaff in my picture! Either way, you might
find yourself wondering when time's up.
All told, The Infiltrator might not be best of breed, but it's
engaging, atmospheric, nicely shot, and offers an interesting take on
the 80s drug war -- one with fewer Uzis and drug mules and more middle
eastern bankers. Relax and enjoy.
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