During a heavily-influenced drug era in 1986 Miami, the sting of Pablo Escobar is in the hands of “The Infiltrator”. Based on a true story, U.S. Customs agent Robert “Bob” Mazur (Bryan Cranston) goes deep undercover to infiltrate Pablo Escobar’s blood-soaked drug trafficking scene plaguing the nation in 1986 by posing as slick, money-laundering businessman Bob Musella. Teamed with impulsive and streetwise fellow agent Emir Ebreu (John Leguizamo) and rookie agent posing as his fiancé Kathy Ertz (Diane Kruger), Mazur befriends Escobar’s top lieutenant Roberto Alcaino (Benjamin Bratt). Navigating a vicious criminal network in which the slightest slip-up could cost him his life, Mazur risks it all building a case that leads to indictments of 85 drug lords and the corrupt bankers who cleaned their dirty money, along with the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, one of the largest money-laundering banks in the world. “The Infiltrator” is directed by Brad Furman, and is rated R for strong violence, adult language, and some sexual and drug material.
Bryan Cranston has not only become one of the very best character actors of our time, but he is a big decider for many on whether they see a movie or not. Case in point to the 2014 disappointment that was “Godzilla”. The movie may not have lived up to expectations, but ten minutes of Cranston showed us just how valuable a possession we had, and it’s no different for “The Infiltrator”. That’s not to say that this is a disappointing movie, but it certainly does have its problems. What carries it is Cranston’s performance, who is slowly seduced into this drug world with prostitution, money laundering, and lavish lifestyles. The film really feels like a big character struggle for Cranston’s Mazur, and that was the most intriguing part of the movie for me. The fact that this longtime agent still has that question in his mind about how far is too far when engulfed in these underground world really captures how inviting it can be. We know for the most part where this story is going, but the fact that there are those moments of what if for Mazur is only a testament to how lost in a character Bryan can get. On top of this, Leguizamo adds a nice counter performance, sizzling with his brand of charismatic humor that strikes at just the right moments for a cool-off after a tense scene. John and Bryan are too enjoyable not to get wrapped into this story, and they are perfectly cast for their real life counterparts.
The first act really came out swinging, and doesn’t take its time getting the audience involved in the very dangerous world of drug infiltration. The first thirty minutes really set the pace for what you are getting into, and is just enough to get you over the hump of some poorly structured sequences during the following acts. The film was never boring to me, in fact, I could’ve used another half hour because I felt there wasn’t enough time and emphasis built on the friendships of Mazur with these drug kingpins. Take a film like “Wolf of Wall Street” for instance, Scorsese uses three hours of very descriptive friendship exposition for his characters. We know they’re doing wrong, but the bust at the end is heartbreaking because the movie made us care about this band of jerks. “The Infiltrator” could certainly use this same lesson. The third act suffers because a lot of it feels rushed after spending too much time on other storyline aspects that really only should serve as a one-scene throw away. There’s very little setup to the final reveal, and it’s one that the audience knows is coming, and doesn’t quite garner the emotional response from me that it should because too many characters come in and out of this story without much friendship value between them. When you believe in the unity on how close the characters are, you take a harder punch when it all comes crumbling down.
One thing that I did enjoy emphatically from Furman’s vision is that of a beautiful design for the movie, which channels two 80’s Gods with glorious cinematography. This film is part Michael Mann, part Oliver Stone when it comes to the detail in design and coloring to make it look like a film straight out of the 80’s. What takes this lesson even further is that it doesn’t JUST feel like a film set in the 80’s, but it feels like you are watching a VHS tape of a movie that was filmed during that time. The very grainy look in design for the intimate scenes with our characters gives off a tannish tint to the movie’s overall look, and certainly goes hand-in-hand with the very vibe of a setting like Miami. There are several gorgeous skyline shots of the big city, giving the viewers that high-roller kind of vibe within this inner circle. Miami is always a city that feels corrupt in these movies, and it sort of gives our protagonists a feeling of crossing over into enemy territory. Furman also uses some excellent musical tracks for the film’s very drug-invested tone. Tracks like “Pusha Man” by Curtis Mayfield and “Everybody Knows” by one of my personal favorites, Leonard Cohen. Songs like these go a long way in audibly following along with the character’s deeper investment in this growing epidemic during the 80’s. It’s all perfectly constructed pros that weigh heavily on a visual experience that is seductive in establishing a darker time.
Overall, “The Infiltrator” packs a couple of solid performances to go along with a visual presentation that solidifies our belief in this time piece. The script could’ve used another re-write, but any time a movie has you asking for more time in an already two hour movie, you’ve got yourself an irresistible winner. Furman crafts a palpable, even suffocating line of tension that forecasts a chance of dread for the people who get locked into such a nightmare.
8/10