The Infiltrator (2016)

not as good as all the hype

Just perfect...

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

A Great Cast does some Fine Acting that Drives this Fractured Movie. It is Split into a Schizophrenic Story that Struggles to Balance the Two Competing Milieus.The Emphasis Switches, not so Seamlessly, from Corrupt Shiny Bankers to Psychopathic Drug Cartels. There is Evil being done with Paperwork and Wetwork and as the Film Unfolds these Things Blur, Disorient, and make the Viewing Experience Less than the Entertainment is should be.However, taking Each Element on its own, both sides of the Issue, ("The Sting"), are Engrossing Enough to Withstand the Ping-Ponging of the Story-Line. It's Bryan Cranston's Picture Portraying "Real Life" Undercover Agent Robert Mazzulo and Cranston's Angst Anchors the Movie as the Deceits and Deceptions Determine the Outcome of each Phase of the Case.It's a Good Looking Film with a Soundtrack that doesn't quite Nail the Songs of the Era but it's Not Too Distracting, because the rest of the Production Design is Snappy with its 1980's Template.The Banker/Gangster Expositions Collide now and then with Tonal Shifts and are Awkward, but Overall the Movie is Worth a Watch for some Good Acting and a Supply of Suspense.

A U.S. Customs official uncovers a money laundering scheme involving Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. A movie about Bryan Cranston where he plays an undercover cop and involves around Cartels and Drugs? Well there you have it this film is terrific i expected it to be good but not that damn good. The acting is great especially from Cranston, Benjamin Bratt continues to showcase his acting talent that he very much showed in Snitch, Diane Kruger was terrific and she was very very smart playing this undercover agent and finally John Leguizamo in a decent and good role once again. The suspense reaches the roof, the story is superb and everyone delivers in a lot of great ways and even tho the film hardly has any actual action it's still one hell of a great movie plus the End Credits song had such a great 80's beat to it. The Infiltrator is easily one of the best films about Drugs since Blow (2001)

Some things can feel like a drag. Like being an investigative undercover cop. You don't have much private life and you can't have too many friends. Well outside of the fake friendships you may create to get what you want. And while this does not hit you with a hammer over your head, there are subtle hints and some obvious ones in the portrayal Bryan Cranston gives us.There are quite a few good actors in this and all is based on real persons and a real case. It really is difficult to capture all this and go into all the private moments. Even with two hours running time, there is certain things that have to be left out. But it still is very coherent and very suspenseful, from start to finish. It's not quite Infernal Affairs, but then again what movie is? This is powerful and while the most of the characters are despicable, they are also human beings and the struggle and transformation feels real.Having said that, I do understand if for some this is not enough, one criticism I didn't get is about the music. Soundtrack by the numbers? What is that supposed to be? You can dislike the movie obviously taste-wise, but I would seriously like to know what another reviewer meant by this.

The Infiltrator is a terrific story that ends up only being a decent little picture because filmmaker Brad Furman drops the ball in some key areas. First off, the opening 45 minutes feel like every single drug/undercover/gangster picture you've ever seen all rolled up into one. If I told you the filmmakers chose to use the Curtis Mayfield song Pusherman, would I have to say anymore? Wow guys, really? Along those lines, this film takes place smack dab in the middle of the 80's but feels like a rehash of every 70's drug film. If one just looks at the 80's as some cheesy period, then it will be so... If one looks at it as a lively time w/ new music- 2nd British invasion, new design, some cool fashion aspects (and some cheesy) and some continued sexual experimentation. (The bi-sexual adviser to Escabor fit right in the times, too bad they kind of squandered the chance to do more w/ him.) Look no further than here for a great primer on the time period: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GG0MR5E#_swftext_Swf At bare minimum, the musical cues were awful, nothing even remotely 80's like at all. Eminence Front by The Who, that's your 80's tune? A classic rock icon of the 60's and 70's and from a record in 1982. A great Rush tune, Tom Sawyer, 1981, opens the film and sets the tempo for a nice scene. It would be okay to open w this but to bookend end w/ another classic rocker indicates the filmmakers had no regard or feel for the period. Try Depeche Mode, Yaz, PiL, hell Bauhaus or Love & Rockets for something edgier. Try something that at least evokes the period... There are a ton of mis steps just like it. For instance, Mom's are great, I bet Brad's Mom is especially awesome. But, letting her write the script? She may be apt to miss things like Wiseguys don't do facial hair (which was more a 70's than 80's thing.) The Wiseguy bodyguard has a big bushy beard, the pic of the real guy at the end of the film clearly illustrates the point. Look no further than here for some Made Man elucidation: https://www.amazon.com/Real-CASINO-Special- Bonus/dp/B008PBCT0A/ In addition, there's a definite sense here that no one associated w/ this film knows anything... and I mean anything about blow. Like uggatz, tho I'm sure Ma Furman loved to dole out mounds of the Colombian marching powder in her day. I mean, there was absolutely no sense of Cocaine permeating this picture at all, none! Just watch how GoodFellas & Casino do it, as Marty clearly did more than dabble. It's egregiously negligent seeing that the film is all about taking down Coke Cartels! And trust me, more than a few of these fellas got high on their own supply, no doubt. Also, it's not as if Ma Furman brought any new, rad feminist sensibility to the pic, it's neutral on the bechdel test at best. It easily could have been so much more. I know Brad's a talented dude, his first films The Take & Lincoln Lawyer were very skillfully crafted, and demonstrated real chops. Even tho the performances were very strong in The Infiltrator, This feels frankly like a wasted, half assed, lazy effort. When folks wanna get it right, they do the work. Take a TV show like Halt & Catch Fire, they really studied to capture the feel of 80's Dallas to get the details right, even renting the aforementioned doc, Warriors of the Discotheque, on the Iconic club of the area designed by Philippe Starck. Cities like Miami, Atlanta, and Dallas went thru a major growth spurt in the 80's, bustling w/ activity and construction, architecture, etc. you get no sense of it in this film, despite shooting in London. it seems they could've a more modern look and feel to the pic. The color scheme and design just screamed 70's!!! Films like these are not easy to make, and every time one gets made that doesn't reach its full potential it Def pisses me off. It makes it that much harder for (possibly better) projects of similar ilk to get lift off.