[yasr_overall_rating]
A documentary that chronicles the hunt for the notorious Mexican drug lord El Chapo.
Joaquín Guzmán Loera is a former Mexican drug lord who headed the Sinaloa Cartel and became Mexico’s top drug kingpin in 2003 until his arrest in February of this year. His cartel shipped cocaine, crystal meth and marijuana around the globe and Forbes magazine ranked him as one of the most powerful people in the world with an estimated net worth of US$1 Billion dollars. Filmmaker Angus MacQueen so desperately wanted to meet with Loera, aka “El Chapo Guzmán” (“The Shorty Guzmán”) for this movie, that he flew down to Mexico on many occasions trying to set up meetings but for the longest time, was given the runaround with a couple of near-death experiences.
Eventually, his persistence (or stupidity as some might call it) paid off and he was granted access to Guzmán’s compound in the “Golden Triangle”, an area that encompasses parts of Sinaloa, Durango, and Chihuahua in the Sierra Madre region. While there, he was allowed to interview Guzmán’s mother but every time he waited for the elusive kingpin, he was told that he would had to leave and that the interview would take place at some other time. To date, MacQueen was the only outsider who was given access to the compound. The movie does not shy away from violence as we witness, in graphic detail, photo and video footage of torture victims, some beheaded, some shot, others hung naked from bridges, a result of opposing cartels and their scare tactics.
The film talks to DEA agents who have been tracking him for years and we also meet a journalist who tried to expose just how corrupt the Mexican government really is and that they were actually affiliated with Guzmán and as a result, death threats were issued to her and she lives day to day, constantly looking over her shoulder. This is the kind of movie I would recommend to all those young kids who think they’re tough, walking around in gangs, sporting tattoos and wife-beaters. You want to know what it’s like to be part of a ‘real’ gang? Standing alongside people who could turn on you in a heartbeat and cut your head off and send it to your family? Then watch this movie. Highly recommended.
In select theaters and on VOD November 14th
