The Infiltrator (2016) * * *

Directed by:  Brad Furman

Starring:  Bryan Cranston, John Leguizamo, Diane Kruger, Juliet Aubrey, Yul Vasquez, Benjamin Bratt, Amy Ryan, Joseph Gilgun

The Infiltrator tells the true story of undercover federal customs agent Bob Mazur (Cranston), who in the mid-1980's infiltrated the highest levels of Pablo Escobar's Medellin cartel by posing as a connected money launderer.   He was convincing enough to win the trust of Escobar's right hand man Roberto Alcaino (Bratt), which in this line of work is both a blessing and a curse.   The Infiltrator makes it easy for us to follow along.   We know who the major players are and what is happening.  It does not bog itself down with meaningless details. The outlines seem like things you may have seen in Miami Vice or Donnie Brasco, but The Infiltrator is effective anyway because there is always the lurking danger of discovery and the deadly consequences if things go wrong.

Like Donnie Brasco (1998), there is also the added element of the bond forged between Mazur (posing as Bob Musella from New York) and Alcaino, who lets Bob and his make-believe fiancée Kathy (Kruger) into his home and into his family.  Alcaino truly likes and respects Bob, adding the intangible of emotion to the process. Kathy, herself a rookie agent, finds this deception tough to handle.    Bob is used to it.  It is the very nature of undercover work.   

Bob is a veteran undercover agent in the Tampa area.    He has a wife and two children, all of whom understand the nature of his job.  He is eligible for retirement, but he wants to continue his quest to help put Pablo Escobar behind bars.  His brainstorm:  Instead of tracking the drugs, track the money.   The money will lead them to the big time arrests.  To do this, he poses as Musella with help from agent Emir Abreu (Leguizamo) who already has made inroads and knows the street maybe even better than Bob does.  When Bob balks at having sex with a stripper (he claims he has a fictional fiancée to cover for his marriage) after meeting some dealers, Emir not so subtly tells him of the "When in Rome" philosophy undercover agents must abide by.   Sometimes an agent has to do bad things in order to protect his cover.   

The Infiltrator benefits from strong performances by Cranston and Leguizamo, both of whom are as dependable as they come, and a multi-layered one from Bratt as Alcaino.    Watch the expression on Alcaino's face when he is ultimately arrested.   It is not one of anger, but hurt and betrayal.  There is also Yul Vasquez as a bisexual Medellin money man who smells a rat with Bob and nearly blows his cover until fate intervenes in Bob's favor.  That happens often in this movie, where one wrong move could mean the difference between life and death.    

I would not be surprised to learn that this story, based on Mazur's own book, takes dramatic license.  It is common.  I go to movies to be entertained, to be challenged, and to watch a story unfold.  Movies tell the stories they want to tell.   If they are worth listening to and watching, then your money spent on the ticket was not in vain.   The Infiltrator is smart, efficient storytelling about a profession which takes a certain amount of courage and nerve to do.  Why would someone risk his or her life for this job, one which is thankless by nature?   Bob Mazur himself may think he is doing good, which he is, but isn't it a bit futile when the next day ten people are lining up to take the place of a Roberto Alcaino?  The Infiltrator knows this all too well.   I think of Cranston's line in Argo when he tells someone, "If we wanted applause, we would have joined the circus."