HOLLYWOOD—It’s a lot more “Donnie Brasco” than it is “The Departed,” and it’s never going to be a canonical cop or gangster movie. Despite this there are things to like about “The Infiltrator.”
The film stars everyone’s favorite blacklisted screenwriter/neurotic father/meth cook Bryan Cranston as U.S. Customs Agent Robert Mazur. Mazur and his higher ups in southern Florida come up with a plan to fight 1980s drug lord Pablo Escobar called Operation C-Chase. It involves pulling off an undercover bust on Escobar’s money launderers. Together with fellow agents Emir Abreu (John Leguizamo), Kathy Ertz (Diane Kruger), and some other colorful feds Mazur goes undercover in a dangerous, hedonistic world where seemingly anything can get you killed.
One of the film’s biggest issues is its pacing. It starts off slow, fails to adequately build tension, doesn’t raise the stakes until half way in, and adds unnecessary scenes. It’s not until we are a good way in that we start to feel the danger Mazur is truly in, and I have to say the plot really does pick up. Mazur could have been given more character development as well.
We are left with the whole family that doesn’t like his job, maybe he should retire type of thing. Honestly, the various temptations to cheat on his wife that he resists are more interesting pieces of character development than any of the early scenes. I wish we got more background on him early on as this would have given the film that much needed raise in the stakes. It should be said that Cranston is really at his best in high stakes situations. All you need to do is think back to those tense scenes in “Breaking Bad.” He’s not given enough of them here. When he is though, he really shines.
Cranston is a main attraction for movie lovers. You see the names Meryl Streep, Quentin Tarantino, Leonardo DiCaprio, Denzel Washington, etc, etc, attached to a project, and you know you’re buying a ticket. Same can be said for Cranston now. The reason for this is he’s going to shine at the right moments. There’re tense, paranoid moments in cars and restaurants where we can see flashes of his brilliance. It’s disappointing that the script held him back. Credit must also be given to Leguizamo. He has his tense moments as well, but injects some humor into his character that gives him a distinct, irreverent style.
I think you can appreciate the movie better if you watch the documentary “Cocaine Cowboys” first. It will help explain the crazy situation in south Florida at the time that is only hinted at in the background of this film.
Being set in Florida and revolving around the drug trade an obvious comparison has to be the classic gangster film “Scarface.” One thing I’ll say about “The Infiltrator” is that I think it does a good job of stripping the drug trade of its romanticism. Sure, in “Scarface” everyone dies in the end, and we are left with the telling last shot of that famous sign “The World is Yours.” Still it seems like quite a ride. I feel this kind of life might appeal to a certain “live fast, die young” type.
When we see the various cartel figures in “The Infiltrator” partying it has a much more grotesque feel. Watching some coked out cartel man getting busy with a stripper looks more sleazy and undignified than fun and exciting. We’re reminded that a bullet can come any second for people living this lifestyle. I applaud the movie for putting this kind of drug money fueled hedonism in its proper perspective. I also have to hand it to the film for showing the brutality of the drug cartels. The more we see Mazur dive into this world the more we see that it is a world of assassination, torture, and violence. You have to give credit to an honest movie.
It doesn’t have the tension, character development, or twists to earn any comparison to the transcendent “The Departed.” It’s worth noting that there are small parts that are reminiscent of “The Godfather.” As I previously mentioned though, it can best be compared to the 1997 film “Donnie Brasco” which told the story of an undercover FBI agent in the mafia.
What makes me say this is that both film’s prominently feature themes that deal with the friendship that develops between undercover agents and their targets, and the ensuing feelings of guilt they experience over the fact they must inevitably betray them. It’s an interesting theme, and it asks fascinating questions about virtue, camaraderie, and responsibility. Again the script becomes a problem in that it doesn’t address this sense of betrayal or its aftermath enough. However, its inclusion did add to the overall quality of the movie.
Speaking of themes, the almost insane levels of greed we see from bankers all over the world in this film is an interesting thing we have to consider. Living in a post financial crisis, “feel the Bern” world we’re all too familiar with massive distrust of major financial institutions. The bankers in this film are no better than the criminals they service, and the fact that they see what they do as having a veneer of respectability is reminiscent of the kind of detached madness we saw in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” It reminds us that misbehavior by the financial class isn’t limited to the early 2000s or 1920s.
In point of fact this is a distinctly post financial crisis, post Iraq, post Snowden film. SPOILER ALERT:
We see that even the CIA is doing dirty deals with some of these crooked bankers. It’s the kind of story that reflects equally well both the anxieties of the Regan era, Iran-Contra and modern day American consciousness.
I applaud the film for featuring strong female characters like Ertz and Bonnie Tischler (Amy Ryan). Not to mention the music has to be one of my favorite soundtracks all year.
It has problems for sure, but if you’re looking for a movie to see soon it’s worth a shot.
