The Infiltrator Official Trailer #2 (2016) - Bryan Cranston, John Leguizamo Movie HD
Think of "The Infiltrator" as a thinking-man"s drug-cartel drama, filled with tension and carried by a Bryan Cranston performance so good that all should enjoy watching him fall on the right side of the law this time.
The actor known for his "Breaking Bad" meth-maker plays federal agent Robert Mazur, known for his undercover expertise in making drug busts and, in this true-story drama, how he went deeper than ever to infiltrate Pablo Escobar"s cocaine suppy to the U.S. in the 1980s.
Based on Mazur"s book, this crime biography is unique in the way that it balances the inherent deceptions in undercover work fooling crooks into doing things that will result in their imprisonment with how close the lawman-and-criminal relationship can become.
Including friendship and respect.
That"s an intriguing element to show, but also a hollow one when taking great pains to show how an Escobar lietenant is a "regular family man" who likes to cook for his wife and daughter without also showing such detail in how he orders murders and leaves other families" children as orphans.
But such flaws are few in this ensemble thriller with a unique filmmaking combination: It"s directed by Brad Furman of "The Lincoln Lawyer," with a screenplay adapted from Mazur"s book by Ellen Brown Furman the director"s mother.
They seem to have made a good team, and they created one on-screen as well.
Mazur (Cranston) is a by-the-book U.S. Customs agent known for his ethics and his in-depth planning and deep-cover identities, calling for odd clothing choices and hairstyles.
Mazur"s honesty and attention to detail in turning into "Bob Musella, money launderer to big-time drug dealers" can sometimes put him in odd situations with fellow agents.
Like the impulsive street-wise fed played by John Leguizamo, who enjoys wine and women, another element that the happily married Mazur takes no part in, even when it"s part of the job, or when a female agent is cast as his fiancee.
"National Treasure" actress Diane Kruger impresses in this rookie undercover role, working from a script that is so rich in character details and realistic dialogue that it allows many to stand out in the film, a real treat of this movie.
There are simply too many to name, and they"re not all big-name co-stars that create multi-dimensional bad guys, good guys and some who straddle the line in this Medillin Colombian cartel storyline.
Look for Yul Vasquez, appropriately flamboyant as a bisexual Escobar money-monitoring minion; Joseph Gilgun as a drug-runner that Mazur frees from prison to help keep the crew out of trouble; Art Malik as a crooked banker who cleans drug money; and about a dozen others.
Films rarely have this many small characters that are so memorable.
Then revel in the joys of Olympia Dukakis as Mazur"s aunt with an attitude; an out-of-nowhere Michael Pare as a doomed informant; and Benjamin Bratt and Elena Anaya, so good as the Escobar-confidante couple that Mazur and his "fiancee" befriend.
The tension created throughout all of this double-dealing makes it feel like something bad is about to happen, and more often than not, it does.
Ranging from loud blasts of action involving guns, knives and car crashes, to an "Escobar calling card" that arrives at Mazur"s home, there is considerable violence, but the film avoids being too graphic.
"The Infiltrator" is solid entertainment made even better by Cranston, who"s so dynamic, and yet subtle, in pulling off the roles of a good guy lawman, a bad guy drug criminal, a husband, a fiancee and above all a man who is committed to making a difference in the war on drugs in the 1980s.
Watching him play-act his way around a vicious criminal enterprise, while enduring occasional slip-ups and hoping they don"t get him and others killed, builds a case for "The Infiltrator" as a classy crime drama.
Michael Smith 918-581-8479
michael.smith@tulsaworld.com
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