The Infiltrator (2016)

A U.S. Customs official uncovers a money laundering scheme involving Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.

Director:

Brad Furman

Writers:

Ellen Furman (screenplay) (as Ellen Brown Furman), Robert Mazur (based on the book on)

Stars:

Bryan Cranston, John Leguizamo, Diane Kruger

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bryan Cranston	...	Robert Mazur
Leanne Best	...	Bowling Alley Waitress
Daniel Mays	...	Frankie
Tom Vaughan-Lawlor	...	Steve Cook
Niall Hayes	...	Scott Mazur
Lara Decaro	...	Andrea Mazur
Juliet Aubrey	...	Evelyn Mazur
Olympia Dukakis	...	Aunt Vicky
Amy Ryan	...	Bonni Tischler
John Leguizamo	...	Emir Abreu
Joseph Gilgun	...	Dominic
Jason Isaacs	...	Mark Jackowski
Richard Katz	...	Attorney
Fred Furman	...	Federal Court Judge
Juan Cely	...	The Informant

Storyline

During the 1980s, U.S. Customs Service special agent Robert Mazur uses his undercover alias "Bob Musella" to become a pivotal player for drug lords cleaning their dirty cash. Later, he infiltrates the world's largest cartel, and helps expose the money-laundering organization of drug lord Pablo Escobar and take down the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, which had secretly taken illegal ownership of First American Bank shares in Washington, D.C. He survives the deception and has a long and productive career..

---

Plot Keywords:

undercover agent | money laundering | corruption | drug cartel | based on true story | 

---

Taglines:

The true story of one man against the biggest drug cartel in history

---

Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, language throughout, some sexual content and drug material

Details

Official Sites:

Mongrel Media Official Facebook

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

13 July 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

El infiltrado

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,303,775, 17 July 2016, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$15,425,870, 25 September 2016

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,805,854, 5 August 2016

Company Credits

Production Co:

George Films, Good Films Collective, Lipsync Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Color:

Color Black and White Color (archive footage)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The tagline for the 2016 movie tie-in edition of Robert Mazur's source book "The Infiltrator: My Secret Life Inside the Dirty Banks Behind Pablo Escobar's Medellín Cartel, first published in 2009, and which has now been re-titled with the shorter name of just "THE INFILTRATOR", as with this feature film's title, changed for the release of this movie, reads: "Undercover in the World of Drug Barons and Dirty Banks".

---

Goofs

In the credits, a sentence appears that in 1980s BCCI had accounts that "funded Afghan Freedom fighters (The Taliban) against the Soviets." The Taliban did not exist back in the 1980s. They came to existence around 1994 and fought in the Afghan civil war after the Soviets withdrew.

---

Quotes

Robert Mazur: Roberto, I am glad you are here. But there is a part of me that wishes you hadn't taken that risk.
Roberto Alcaino: Without family or friends what kinda world it is be. There will be no reason to be alive. Hmm? It's a good day.

---

Connections

References Super Fly (1972)

---

Soundtracks

Alcaino's Dinner
Written & Performed by Bernd Schoenhart
Courtesy of Cutting Edge Music (Holdings) Ltd.

User Reviews

A great retelling of a true undercover drama in the 80s

The Infiltrator

In some ways this might seem like a straight up crime and drugs movie, with Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston in the leading role. But these true events and actual characters take you to the top of a government effort to undercut the money laundering operations of the biggest cartel of all.

And Cranston is great. Around him is a really strong cast, including some disreputable types from all around. The pressures are huge, and the tension believable as people question who they can trust. Because to go undercover requires people helping you keep your cover, and that's increasingly hard because the money, and the low price of a life, are constant pressures.

The movie is based in Florida in the 1980s, and it's a weird place to revisit. Diane Kruger is a great, relaxed presence once she shows up, and John Leguizamo is terrific as a sidekick, essential to the energy of the film.

There some problems, for sure, with compacting the plot or characterizing Escobar. Or making the private life of the main agent so easily intertwined with the undercover world—they should be states apart.

But never mind the quibbles. A strong, commanding movie.