Seeking out the
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Cartel Land
Directed by
Matthew Heineman
Produced by Matthew Heineman and Tom Yellin
Produced by Matthew Heineman and Tom Yellin
With:
José Manuel 'El Doctor' Mireles, and Tim "Nailer" Foley
Cinematography:
Matthew Heineman and Matt Porwoll
Editing: Pax Wassermann, Matthew Heineman, Matthew Hamachek, and Bradley J. Ross
Music: H. Scott Salinas and Jackson Greenberg
Editing: Pax Wassermann, Matthew Heineman, Matthew Hamachek, and Bradley J. Ross
Music: H. Scott Salinas and Jackson Greenberg
Runtime:
100 min
Release Date: 03 July 2015
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1
Color: Color
Release Date: 03 July 2015
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1
Color: Color
Cartel
Land feels like a
documentary companion film to this same year’s fictional feature Sicario. Both films share
many of the same strengths and weaknesses as they weave their narratives about
the hopeless and endless drug war that drags on in the United States and
Mexico. Director Matthew Heineman’s cinema vérité approach and the astounding
access he has to his subjects recall the profound intimacy of Robert Drew’s
great political documentaries of the ’60s, Primary and Crisis. As
nuanced and complex as this film is, it provides little in terms of substantive information or understanding of the issues it raises. It also lacks a sense of
balance, both in terms of perspective and narrative power. The story of the
Mexican vigilante group is infinitely more compelling, frightening, and layered
than their American counterpart. But while the dual narrative works
better in theory than practice, this is an undeniably powerful film that leaves
you with a sense of pessimistic dread.