Open Post #1: Review on A&E's "Cartel Land"

       I, like many college students across the country, occasionally watch Netflix in my free time. Translation: I watch A LOT of Netflix every day. It consumes more time in my life than I'd like to admit, however there are some films and shows that have substance and meaning for the viewer. I recently watched Cartel Land, directed by Matthew Heineman, that gave an intimate and raw view of the Mexican drug cartels and their counterparts. It was shot from multiple view points of leaders from anti-cartel militia groups from both Mexico and The southwest United States, as well as short clips from meth cooks at the beginning and end of the documentary. So, here are some of the cast and who they are.

       Dr. Jose Manuel Mireles

Image Credit: McClatchy

        Mireles' day job is a physician in Michocatán, Mexico for a small town. He, however, is famous for being the leader of the anti-cartel militant group the Autodefensas. They began in 2013 going from town to town flushing out members of the Knights Templar, one of the most dangerous drug cartels in the world. He is a charismatic speaker and is a vigilante hero to many Mexican civilians that have felt the violence of the Knights firsthand. However, he is not a great person and it is seen later in the documentary that he cheats on his wife on occasion. He is no saint, but the his intentions with the Autodefensas are good.

       Tim "Nailer" Foley

Image Credit: oathkeepers.org

       Tim is the American side of the anti-cartel resistance in southern Arizona. An ex military man, Tim was a hardcore drug addict until he turned his life around after a bad car accident. He is the founder of Arizona Border Recon (ABR), a militia aimed and keeping cartels out of southern Arizona. His tactics are less aggressive than Mireles, however he and his group are well armed and willing to kill. But unlike in Mexico, the vast majority of Americans do not support these groups and condemn them as radicals and racists.

        Papa Smurf 

Image Credit: SBS

       Estanislao Beltran, or Papa Smurf as he is known around the Autodefensas, is Mireles' second in command. SPOILER ALERT: his intentions are not very good, and ends up flipping sides after he makes a deal with the Mexican Government to work for them. He is corrupt and quickly becomes the head of the government sanctioned Autodefensas that is littered with secret cartel members.

     
       Those are the main protagonists in the documentary. The  first two men both are fighting for a good cause, but have character flaws that hinder their progress to defeat the brutal cartels. As for the documentary itself, the on site approach to investigating these groups provides a unique angle that most drug related films do not have. Where it is lacking in statistics and studies, it makes up in records of day to day life in these militias. Some would argue that is is narrow minded and portrays both the Mexican and US Governments in a bad light. While it seems that the Mexican Government does not have an answer for these cartels (possibly because of wide scale bribery from the cartels), the film does not interview or film anyone from the bureaucracies. 

       However, the film was concise, clear, and gives a very realistic account of the situation down south. There are not heroes and villains, just humans that have strengths and flaws. It also gave some insight into the minds of the cartels. "What can I say?" the cook says at the beginning of the film. "We know we do harm with all the drugs that go there (The United States). But what are we going to do? We came from poverty. If we start paying attention to our hearts, we are going to get screwed over... I mean, some way, some how, everyone has gotten corrupted. We're the lucky ones, for now." Overall I think this is a must watch documentary if you are interested in the war on drugs.