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MOVIE REVIEW 'The Inflitrator' is relentlessly stressful and good to watch Comment By Chris Honoré for Revels DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Jul. 21, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Jul. 21, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News The Infiltrator ; 127min; Rated R There are several reasons to see the gritty thriller “The Infiltrator.” First, it is based on the 2009 memoir of federal agent Bob Mazur, and the story he tells exists in the genre's sweet spot. It’s 1985, America is awash in cocaine, and Mazur goes undercover as a slick, well-heeled, money-laundering executive/accountant who recruits big banks to accept millions in drug money from the Medellin cartel of Pablo Escobar. The goal is not to interdict the incoming drugs but to follow the money and confiscate it. The stakes are high and perpetually lethal, a milieu where one misstep can be fatal. Bryan Cranston, of the TV series “Breaking Bad,” portrays Mazur. It’s a role made for Cranston, who is one of the best character actors working today. His gift is being able to step into a leading role while never losing the ability to submerge himself in the part, his deeply lined face able to convey a panoply of emotions before uttering a word. In “The Infiltrator,” he becomes Bob Musella, his pseudonym, and manages to work his way into Escobar’s cartel while he legitimizes its dirty money: first wash, then spin-dry. Mazura is in his real life a caing family man living in Tampa’s suburbs. Undercover, he’s an amoral businessman who befriends the cartel’s glitterati, such as Roberto Alcaino (Benjamin Bratt) and wife, knowing that he will, if all goes as planned, betray their trust and friendship. Think of Mazur as walking a high wire, placing one foot carefully in front of the other, knowing that to make just one mistake will mean death. And there is the performance of John Leguizamo, another superb character actor, portraying Emir Abreu, a seedy sidekick, the yang to Mazur’s yin. Abreu is addicted to the danger of undercover work, its inherent rush, and is therefore often reckless. Cranston’s Mazur is far more conflicted about his undercover work than is Abreu, but then it feels as if he has a great deal more to lose. His informant is let out of jail to provide Mazur with ample street cred while reminding him graphically of what the cartel will do, not just to him but also to his family. The details are harrowing, and a window into the remorseless and lethal retribution that the soldiers of the cartel are capable of. Briefly, Mazur is offered early retirement with full pay; however, he can’t walk away, no matter the inherent danger to himself and those he loves. He doesn’t have to look too hard to justify taking down these suppliers of the drugs saturating American neighborhoods, devastating thousands of lives. The toll on him personally is a different matter. At one point, into act two, when Mazur is establishing his bona fides, one of the feds, observing him to be preoccupied, asks him if he needs to speak with a psychologist, signaling how tenuous the equilibrium of undercover agents can be. For Mazur, the stress is unrelenting, every moment filled with dread. All of which is conveyed in “The Infiltrator.” By Chris Honoré for Revels DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Jul. 21, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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