El cártel (2009)

Mexico's most notorious drug lord schools a naïve journalist as to the principles behind The Cartel's success.

Director:

Brian J. Bagley

Writer:

Brian J. Bagley (story and screenplay)

Stars:

José Luis Franco, Frederick Stuart, Mauricio Islas

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
José Luis Franco	...	Angel Santana
Frederick Stuart	...	Jules Land (as Freddy Douglas)
Mauricio Islas	...	Santos
Tania Arredondo	...	Dolores Santana
Howard Gibson	...	Vern
Miguel Rodarte	...	Pancho
Gustavo Sánchez Parra	...	Rojas
Rafael Oliveira	...	Ned Constantine
Alejandro de la Madrid	...	Officer Solana
Khotan Fernandez	...	Caronte (as Khotan)
José Sefami	...	Don Amilkar
Hector Kotsifakis	...	Young Angel Santana
Humberto Elizondo	...	Pedro Santana
Tom Martino	...	Tom Donaldson
Eduardo Victoria	...	Carlitos

Storyline

Based on Mexico's current criminal climate, EL CÁRTEL is a rare look into the values and practices of the world's most intriguing and enigmatic industry - the multi-billion dollar business of drug trafficking. When Jules Land, a naïve business journalist, approaches Mexico's most notorious drug cartel and requests an audience with its leader, a one-time-priest turned murderous cutthroat, he quickly realizes he's in over his head. Wanting only the chance to kick-start his struggling career, Jules goes from seeking to understand the principles behind The Cartel's success, to fighting to return home with his wits - and his life - intact.

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Plot Keywords:

drugs | mexico | journalist | business | reporter | 

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Taglines:

In Mexico, nothing goes as planned.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Spain] Official site [United States]

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

12 May 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

El cartel

Filming Locations:

Boulder, Colorado, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The voice of the protagonist's senior editor belongs to 'Tom Martino', the nationally syndicated radio host known to his millions of fans as, "The Troubleshooter."

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Soundtracks

No Nadie
Written by Edgard Jaude, Rafael Torres, Andres Ayrado
Performed by Andres Ayrado
Courtesy of 5 Alarm Music

User Reviews

Intriguing Premise + Great Villains & Cinematography = Worth Watching

An interesting story about an American journalist who uses familial connections to arrange an interview with Latin America's most successful "narcotraficante." Mistakenly thinking it's the opportunity of a lifetime, this journalist plunges – quite naively – into the belly of a gritty Mexican underworld.

While the story was intriguing, the movie's real standouts are its villains – Angel Santana and his cartel cronies. As the story unfolds, the film teaches 13 "principles" behind this infamous drug lord's success. The irony is that they also apply to all of us, providing the film's underlying "moral" – if you stick to your principles and adhere to your values, things tend to go well (although not always perfectly). And if you don't? Well, watch the movie and you'll see.

Kudos are also warranted for the film's cinematography (some of the shots are simply breathtaking). If only all low-budget indie films had this much thought and production value. -- B.T. Corbett