The Infiltrator

LJ'S QUICK MOVIE REVIEW

"I think we've been doing this backward. We've been following the drugs to get to the bad guys. What if we chased the money?"

"The Infiltrator", starring Bryan Cranston, follows the fascinating tale of Robert Mazur, a U.S. Customs Agent who goes undercover in a drug cartel.

The stakes are extremely high. If Mazur's disguise isn't convincing, he will be brutally tortured and murdered. He, along with his two partners, have to deal with intelligent drug-lords, ruthless thugs, and shrewd businessmen. Watch as the trio concoct risky plans and false identities while avoiding the suspicion of their targets.

The severe tension is truly felt through the amazing performances. Cranston steals the show, while Diane Kruger, Benjamin Bratt, and Emir Areu are all top-notch. There are nerve-wracking moments where viewers sincerely fear for the characters' safety.

Overall, "The Infiltrator" is a riveting and complex movie with great direction and superb acting. If crime-dramas are your cup of tea, I highly recommend watching it.

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Bryan Cranston is not your typical movie star, although he seems like it. Underneath the cool-high-school-dad exterior, there's an actor of great depth and unexpected power. You'll know it when you see a scene involving his character, said character's wife, and a restaurant on their anniversary dinner. Cranston seems to have benefited during his years as Walter 'Heisenberg' White on TV's Breaking Bad. And it has contributed greatly in this biographical crime thriller, about as straightforward and predictable as a stab in the gut.

Yes, Brad Furman's (The Lincoln Lawyer, Runner Runner) directorial efforts here will not be known for their signature riffs, as there is none to speak of. It's standard thriller fare, the kind that would do well had it been released between the late 1980s and early 1990s; pure genre fare that caters to mostly adult film-goers that aren't interested in seeing computer-generated superpowers or rubble. In other words, unoriginal yet mature, grown-up stuff.

The Infiltrator, however, is textbook example of how great casting can elevate shopworn genre material into solid entertainment, as the always-reliable Cranston has proved here. Sure, he is strongly supported by a bevy of intriguing cast members including Benjamin Bratt, John Leguizamo and the lovely Diane Kruger; but in portraying real-life undercover agent Robert Mazur shimmying his way up through Pablo Escobar's criminal empire, Cranston's understated but strong everyman presence confidently carries the movie solely. That quality alone replaces the tediousness often found in similar true-crime movies with an intense amount of uneasy suspense and grounded credibility, providing lots of fun for Cranston fans as long as they do not expect anything groundbreaking.

Breaking Good, indeed.

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.

I heard grumblings from two guys who were leaving the theater behind me after seeing THE INFILTRATOR that this movie did not have nearly enough action/bloodshed for them. I think they were expecting another SCARFACE or GOODFELLAS. That is not what this movie is. This movie is a character study of a man who goes undercover with the Pablo Escobar drug cartel and develops relationships/friendships with these bad guys in order to bring them down. The real conflict in this film is not the action, but rather, the RE-ACTION of "the infiltrator" - will he remember that he is just playing a role to bring down the bad guys, or will he lose himself in the role and the relationships and become a bad guy himself?

If you are looking for an action movie, this movie will be a little too slow for you. If you are looking for good acting and a strong character study, then this is a very enjoyable film.

Much of that enjoyment hinges on the performance of Bryan Cranston as Robert Mazur, "The Infiltrator". We follow him as he dives deep into this criminal organization. Cranston is in about 90% of the scenes of this movie, so his performance better be strong or this will be one long movie, indeed. Fortunately for us, his performance is better than strong. He continues his string of fascinating/watchable performances and he more than anchors this film and makes it worth watching.

Ably assisting him is a strong supporting cast - Amy Ryan (as his boss), Jason Issaacs (somewhat wasted as the District Attorney), Benjamin Bratt (as one of the main bad guys), Olympia Dukakis (in a fun turn as his aunt) and Diane Kruger (defying age as another agent posing as his fiancé - when I first saw her I thought "that's a young Diane Kruger" until I realized it WAS Diane Kruger!). Finally, John Leguizamo as Mazur's partner, Emir Abreu is TERRIFIC. The best performance I've seen from him in quite some time. If this movie was a little better and a little later in the season, I'd be touting him for an Academy Award nomination.

If you want blood, guts and action, wait for the Jason Bourne film. If you want an interesting, gripping film that is well acted check out the Infiltrator - you'll be glad you did!

7 (out of 10 stars) and you can take that to the Bank (of Marquis)

There are many reasons to like The Infiltrator. It takes place in the '80s, it's suspenseful, and it gives us a really gritty inside look at what life is like for a good guy who goes undercover to work with the Colombian drug cartel.

Which is what Bryan Cranston's character does. He's a guy on the verge of retirement and could easily leave to spend time with his wife and kids, but takes this one last job. And it proves to be the toughest one yet as he poses as a money launderer to try and take down Pablo Escobar's entire drug trafficking network.

It takes place in the Reagan-'80s and so there's this whole overt camera filter over the whole film. It's not too distracting, but it's also not terribly necessary. But it's minor.

The whole thing plays out as one giant sting operation. And the filmmakers understand that in a 2 hour movie, you don't need to run through all the details in one quick dialogue-filled scene. However, it would've been nice if they had given us a little more along the way.

It starts unraveling a little over an hour in. There's about a 30 minute stretch where you're looking at the person sitting next to you saying, "What's happening?" There's a lot left unexplained, but I guess there was more concern about the movie not becoming any longer.

The film is long at 127 minutes, but it's never really an issue. We need the time to process what's happening and for Cranston's character to evolve over the course of the film.

It tightens back up in the home stretch, culminating in an emotionally impressive final scene.

The always-under-appreciated John Leguizamo plays Cranston's partner and does a very good and believable job.

There seems to be this slightly neglected theme intermittently placed throughout the film about the American economy collapsing without laundered money. It's an interesting idea and one that should have been touched upon way more.

Twizard Rating: 80