Cartel Land

2015년 • 100분

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In this Sundance award-winning film, Director Matthew Heineman and Executive Producer Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”, “Zero Dark Thirty”) gain unprecedented, on-the-ground access to the riveting stories of two modern-day vigilante groups and their shared enemy— the murderous Mexican drug cartels. In the Mexican state of Michoacán, Dr. Jose Mireles, a small-town physician known as "El Doctor," leads the Autodefensas, a citizen uprising against the violent Knights Templar drug cartel. Meanwhile, in Arizona's Altar Valley – a narrow, 52-mile-long desert corridor known as Cocaine Alley – Tim "Nailer" Foley, an American veteran, heads a small paramilitary group called Arizona Border Recon, whose goal is to stop Mexico’s drug wars from seeping across our border. Heineman embeds himself in the heart of darkness as Nailer, El Doctor, and the cartel each vie to bring their own brand of justice to a society where institutions have failed. The film is a chilling, visceral meditation on the breakdown of order and the blurry line between good and evil.

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This is not a good movie. The movie follows the lives of a small number of people and relays only their thoughts. There is no information or broader perspective conveyed whatsoever as one would expect with a documentary. Furthermore, the main characters do not even give a broader context of the drug traffic problem, how the Cartels functions, etc. The viewer is left with the same amount of information as one would get from listening to a couple of people's first hand perspective during a 2 hour flight.

Overall the film is good and very sad. Seems to focus on the crack trade, while powder cocaine is the true problem with Central and South American countries moving the product through Mexico in exchange for arms. It seems as if the film almost supports the militia in AZ, which in my opinion are committing kidnapping and unlawful detention, with support of CBP.

Very interesting following a movement that earns people's trust then corrupts itself, but I feel it was a bit short, and as a result quite heavily edited to send a clear message. It could've done with some more time showing some of the greyer areas. But still, a very good documentary.