Cocaine Cowboys (2006)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Billy Corben

Release Date:

23 November 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary | Crime

Tagline:

The incredible true story that inspired "Scarface" and "Miami Vice".

Plot:

In the 1980s, ruthless Colombian cocaine barons invaded Miami with a brand of violence unseen in this country since Prohibition-era Chicago...

Plot Keywords:

Cocaine | Drugs | Murder | 1980s | Violence

Cast

Jon Roberts	...	Himself
Al Sunshine	...	Himself
Sam Burstyn	...	Himself
Mickey Munday	...	Himself
Bob Palumbo	...	Himself
Toni Mooney	...	Herself
Edna Buchanan	...	Herself
Joseph Davis	...	Himself (as Dr. Joseph Davis)
Al Singleton	...	Himself
Louis Caruso	...	Himself
Raul Diaz	...	Himself
Jorge Ayala	...	Himself (as Jorge 'Rivi' Ayala)
Nelson Andreu	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Griselda Blanco	...	Herself (archive footage)
Kelly Hughes	...	Girl in apt
Jenna Reeves	...	Girl In Ocean
Monica Rooker	...	Grizel Lorenzo
Alfred Spellman	...	Chucho Castro

Directed by
Billy Corben

Produced by
Billy Corben	....	producer
David Cypkin	....	associate producer
Bruno del Granado	....	executive producer
Alfred Spellman	....	producer

Original Music by
Jan Hammer

Cinematography by
Armando Salas

Film Editing by
Billy Corben
David Cypkin

Makeup Department
Robin Ryant	....	hair stylist
Robin Ryant	....	makeup artist

Sound Department
Juan Dieguez	....	sound designer
Paul Michael	....	sound re-recording mixer (5.1 version)
Lenny Rabinowitz	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Kevin Harris	....	special effects
John Patteson	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Mariah Diehl	....	assistant camera (as Mariah T. Diehl)
Josh Ellis	....	grip
Mike Gioulakis	....	grip
Brett Jacobsen	....	grip
Evan Rosenfeld	....	grip
Zachary Sieffert	....	assistant camera
Robert Villanueva	....	grip
Erika Waddey	....	grip
Kara Yeatts	....	grip

Editorial Department
Bradley Greer	....	on-line editor
Matt Perrin	....	colorist
Jeffrey Spiegelman	....	post-production assistant
Shawn Wines	....	apprentice editor

Music Department
Eric Ransom	....	composer: additional music

Other crew
Benton L. Becker	....	researcher
David A. Carter	....	legal services
Michael V. Finuccio	....	accountant
Wesley Marquet	....	researcher
Dario Moreno	....	researcher
Edward Mullins	....	legal services
Edward Shohat	....	researcher
Robert Villanueva	....	production assistant
Matthew Weiner	....	logo designer

Thanks
Mariauxy Castillo	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Rakontur

Distributors

• Madman Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (DVD)
• Magnolia Pictures (2006) (USA) (all media)
• Punto Zero (2008) (Italy) (DVD) (as Enjoy Movies)
• Surreal Films (2009) (France) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Cineworks Digital Studios  post-production
• Jeremy Walker + Associates  publicity
• Manhattan Transfer  adr facility
• Manhattan Transfer  sound re-recording
• RPM Group  publicity

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive drug content, gruesome violent images, and language.

Runtime:

118 min | USA:116 min (short version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:M (2007) | Germany:16 | Norway:10 (TV rating) | Norway:15 (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Miami, Florida, USA

Company:

Rakontur

Movie Connections:

References "Miami Vice" (1984)

Excellent documentary

Although I had the opportunity to see the unfinished version of what is sure to be an award-winning film, I was thoroughly impressed by Cocaine Cowboys. Without giving anything away, let me just say that this film refrains from the type of overly preachy or overly glorified view of the cocaine business in the late 1970's and 1980's. A nice balance of character analysis mixed with an abundance of archival data kept my interest throughout the experience...and I walked out of the theater feeling as though I really learned a great deal, not only about historical occurrences, and their impact on a few central characters or society as a whole; rather, I left the cinema with a grasp of the time period from many different perspectives: Columbian drug lords, Cocaine transporters and dealers, special task force members assigned to find the aforementioned groups, local media then and now, land developers, vacationers, car salesmen, and your average Miamian. Perspectives offered were not limited in scope. I highly recommend this film.