The Infiltrator (2016) [Blu-ray]
Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline: The true story of one man against the biggest drug cartel in history

Based on a true story, Federal agent ROBERT "BOB" MAZUR (Bryan Cranston) goes deep undercover to infiltrate Pablo Escobar's 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 ABREU (John Leguizamo) and rookie agent posing as his fianc 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.

Storyline: A U.S. Customs official uncovers a money laundering scheme involving Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Brian Orndorf, October 14, 2016 "The Infiltrator" has all the elements of a classic undercover cop story, including a conflicted protagonist, a Floridian setting, and a secretive world of drug dealing. It presents a true-life tale that offers fascinating characters and heated showdowns, yet director Brad Furman doesn't quite know if he wants the picture to be a sincere study of a lawman's loss of self or a ridiculously overcooked crime tale with a few operatic extremes. "The Infiltrator" is unsatisfying and weirdly absurd at times, but it's not a complete blunder, blessed with a cast that's capable of finding nuances in the moment, bringing friendships and antagonisms to life in a way that Furman is incapable of doing on his own.

A dedicated DEA agent working the hard streets of Tampa in 1985, Robert Mazur (Bryan Cranston) is frustrated with attempts to disrupt drug shipments coming in from South America, taking anxiety home to wife Evelyn (Juliet Aubrey) and his two kids. Handed an opportunity to destroy the trail of dirty money that floods Florida, Robert goes undercover as an ace launderer capable of protecting cartel cash, paying specific attention to Roberto (Benjamin Bratt), who's employed by Pablo Escobar. Paired with Kathy (Diane Kruger), a fellow agent assigned to portray his trophy girlfriend, Robert immerses himself in this dangerous world, making connections with evil men in charge of keeping cocaine in supply, while developing a friendship with Roberto, getting a first-hand peek at the crook's family life as he pieces together a sweeping case that could potentially ruin underworld dealings for key players in the drug business.

In a sign of bad luck for "The Infiltrator," its best scene in the movie is also its first scene. We meet Robert on the job, setting up a money exchange at a bowling alley, flirting with a waitress who's sniffing around for free coke. Something's agitating him, but he remains focused, trying to keep what initially appears to be a heart attack under control long enough to get out into the open, completing the bust. Without even understanding the character and his mission, Furman achieves masterful tension with a healthy portion of disorientation, launching the feature with a promise of even deeper cuts of professional misery, spotlighting Robert's way with dicey situations that require training and instinct to survive. Sadly, "The Infiltrator" doesn't build on the introduction, instead embarking on a more traditional tale of duty and detachment, quickly transforming into an episode of an ongoing television series.

Furman strives to remain cinematic with "The Infiltrator," but the screenplay by Ellen Brown Furman (adapting Mazur's biography) often plays like something fished out Stephen J. Cannell's trash can. Instead of probing deep into Robert's splintered psyche, understanding the headspace required to put one's life on the line every day to secure a morsel of justice, the feature only provides a superficial understanding of motivation, depicting Robert as a fatigued man looking to achieve one final victory by going after the titans of the drug trade, sacrificing his relationship with Evelyn in the process. Cliches are common, and the material's sense of group effort is lacking, finding partner Emir's (John Leguizamo) violent, blood-splattering asides more about adding touches of exploitation to "The Infiltrator" than identifying real threat coming from the cartels. Furman's out to craft his own take on "The Godfather," lifting scenes from the classic while slowly sinking Robert into trouble, but nothing innovative is offered, only routine, with the most pronounced offering of formula focusing on Robert's union with Roberto, growing to like the drug dealer and his family, threatening the pursuit of justice.

As "The Infiltrator" struggles to come up something to do besides paint by numbers, Cranston remains committed to the cause, delivering quality work as Robert, communicating the internal drive of the undercover agent to connect the investigative dots using secret recordings and establishing toxic relationships. Robert's submersion into the world is the most credible aspect of the feature thanks to Cranston's acting (Bratt has strong scenes too), though he's ultimately no match for the screenplay, which doesn't always explain onscreen events to satisfaction, eventually leading to a grand finale at a wedding that's riddled with logic problems. "The Infiltrator" keeps up Furman's recent run of mediocrity (including "The Lincoln Lawyer" and "Runner Runner"), a disappointing reality considering the dramatic potential of the story. It's a dull take on a pressurized situation, and the film's insistence on predictability limits its potential for suspense.

[CSW] -3.3- The story is compelling and the characters interesting which kept me invested from beginning to end. There were many pieces to this puzzle, and the director carefully thought out each character and brought them to life so you become completely involved in their story....and then you begin to dread what you know will be the inevitable end (as did Mazur.) The final scene is so extraordinary it's hard to believe it actually happened. A good climax and one of the better scenes I've seen quite a while. I knew they deserved it, but at the same time I felt sorry for them. How can such nice people be so bad? There are some assumptions that you will have to make to keep from having huge plot holes. For example when he receives a bloody warning package in the mail at his real home address you have to assume that the DEA forwarded it from his undercover address because if they didn't then the cartel knew where he actually lived and his cover would have been blown. It is an intense movie that is worth the watch.
[V4.5-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box did little to enhance this movie.


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