Has the increase in quality television affected the way we (or maybe it’s just me) watch films? For the last decade, many convincing arguments have been put forth that what with the coming of sprawling, multi-part, continuous series (The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, et al.) what we can see at home via cable networks and streaming services has surpassed movies in regards to the way characters can be developed and stories told more fully. While film franchises have adopted this strategy with overall positive results – The Lord of the Rings, Marvel’s interlocking shared universe – these undertakings are the exception, not the norm, where traditional cinematic narratives are concerned.
This issue crossed my mind more than once while watching Brad Furman’s The Infiltrator, a fine film in its own right but one that’s ultimately lacking. To be sure, the story at its center is a fascinating one. In adapting U.S. Customs agent Robert Mazur’s memoir, Furman and his wife Ellen Brown Furman, who wrote the screenplay, have produced a bracing look at what went on behind the scenes in 1985 to make the largest international drug bust in United States history happen. With a strong cast on board and a dense story told at a crisp pace, the film is very good as far as it goes but leaves far too many undeveloped plot lines to be completely successful.
As a customs agent working on bringing down national drug rings, Mazur (Bryan Cranston) is no stranger to danger yet he begins to suspect that the agency he works for is going about stemming the tide of narcotics in the wrong way. He devises a method to track the money back to the source rather than the drugs, a plan that gets him noticed by his superior Bonni Tischler (Amy Ryan). Soon Mazur’s heading a division that has its eye on arresting the leaders in the Colombian Drug Cartel, an infamous operation run by Pablo Escobar. Working with a hotshot partner (John Leguizamo), a rookie in the field (Diane Kruger) and a paroled informant (Joseph Gilgun), Mazur finds himself going further undercover than he anticipated as he begins rubbing shoulders with the highest of high rollers Roberto Alcaino (Benjamin Bratt), is dragged through the Colombian jungle, witnesses multiple murders, has death threats delivered to his home, and risks alienating his steadfast wife (Juliet Aubrey).
While the story is told in a compelling manner, it suffers from using too many elements that have become clichéd. While Mazur’s experiences may be true, they’ve been used so many times in other films that there’s a faint touch of staleness to it all. Be that as it may, the movie is never dull and benefits greatly from the cast that brings just the right amount of sincerity to their roles to avoid them coming off as stereotypes. Leguizamo gives his usual compelling turn, Kruger is surprisingly strong, and Bratt is still watchable in a role he’s played far too many times. Cranston proves here that he can carry a film, and it’s impossible not to draw comparisons with his seminal role as Walter White from “Breaking Bad.” Both addicted to the thrill of the lifestyle they’re adopted and the power it brings them, the characters brush aside the opportunity to get out from under and go back to a normal life. Cranston’s gift is his ability to bring these self-destructive characters to life without alienating the audience, all of which holds him in good stead here.
While The Infiltrator is a well-made thriller, it left me wanting more. Leguizamo’s character is forgotten for large portions of the film, and a moment in which I wanted to see him react to a particularly traumatic situation never comes. Mazur’s wife and the impact his job has on his family are woefully underdeveloped and much more could be done with how the Customs Agency regarded his immersive approach. While this may seem like nitpicking, the devil’s in these details where complete and partial storytelling is concerned. At least, that’s what modern television has taught me.
Contact Chuck Koplinski at [email protected].