The Infiltrator

The Infiltrator is the latest directorial effort from Brad Furman.  Bryan Cranton stars as Robert Mazur, a special agent for customs, who for better or worse wants to take down the money laundering scheme of major drug lord of the 1980s Pablo Escobar.  The other part of his mission is to take down the Bank of Credit and Commerce international because they have taken illegal ownership of the First Bank of America through owning a majority of their shares.

The real joy of watching The Infiltrator for me comes from really learning how the drug trade works.  I never knew who Pablo Escobar was or even how the drug trade works.  To see Robert Mazur put himself and others in consistent danger all in the aide of capturing Escobar’s main accountant was nothing short of beyond thrilling.  Mazur may have done these type of operations hundreds of times but what makes this particular mission so fascinating is the sheer scale of how deep the rabbit hole for this illegal operation goes.

Let’s be honest.  Aside from the story itself the best part of this film is Bryan Cranston.  The reason why Cranston is a star in Hollywood at the moment is because he can bring subtle intensity and then maximize what intensity he creates to manufacture tension that puts audiences on edge.  It’s not just Robert Mazur’s safety audiences are concerned with but also the relationships he has built based on the persona Mazur was given to portray.  The really great thing about this small film is that you care about both the major and minor players because you know what the stakes are and have a general idea what will be lost once the truth is revealed.

Cranston is superb as always but I am always surprised by the versatility of John Luiguizamo.  I know him well as being an actor but I have heard his roots go back to stand-up comedy despite his role in this film being no laughing matter. His character comes across as cocky and insincere but has clearly been around the block with men like this a few times.  This is partly what makes that character so fascinating because you truly never know what he might do and that gives him a distinct edge over not only the customs officers he’s working with but also the guys he is trying to take down.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the other major player in this film who while not being over the top gives a restrained enough performance that he still comes across as menacing and that is Benjamin Bratt as Roberto Alcaino.  The ruthlessness of Bratt’s character is subdued and he is first and foremost a business man and his friendship with Robert Mazur is electric specifically because Alcaino once you meet him you realize how unpredictable he is.

The Infiltrator is a deep dive into what it means to have to be different and survive in a deeply criminal world when people’s lives are at stake.  While Cranston is superb the suspense of the story and knowing the story isn’t fictional is what drives the tension I felt while having this cinematic experience.  I recommend it to anyone who has a love of crime stories for simply the reason that it’s rare for a film to keep you on your toes so much without experiencing the fatigue that comes from watching those tense situations unfold.