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)

Stars:

José Luis Franco, Freddy Douglas, Mauricio Islas

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
José Luis Franco	...	Angel Santana
Freddy Douglas	...	Jules Land
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	...	Caronte
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:

mexico | drugs | business | journalist | 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 [es] Official site [us]

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

12 May 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Want of Opportunity

Filming Locations:

Boulder, Colorado, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The federal government of Mexico shut down part of the U.S./Mexico border to permit the cast and crew to shoot for two days at the Nogales, Mexico "port of entry." This special permission was granted by Mexico's highest "Aduana" and immigration officials only after they had read the script and given their blessing.

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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

Enjoyed it.

Okay... So I saw the movie trailer on youtube and decided to put it in my Netflix queue. I'm not one to watch independent films, preferring to reserve my time for the bigger films that my kids will like. But I'm actually glad I strayed from the norm on this one.

I judge a film on how much it gets into my head. My husband and I watched this last night (not one for the kiddos me thinks) and I woke up this morning thinking about it. The film itself was pretty good. Acting was descent. Story was descent. Message and moral of the film was superb! I'm not sure if the film makes me want to chase my dreams, or be happy with the fact that I've decided to let them pass me by, but it's definitely got me thinking that I should start revisiting all the things I wanted to do when I was a kid. And if I decide to "go for it," as the movie's main character would say, I'll make sure I do a little bit better preparing than he did! haha