SmugKitZine Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

Neil Welch Robert Mazer, a US customs official on the point of retirement, sees an opportunity for his undercover drugs operation to be given a revised initiative whereby they will pursue the laundering of drug money rather than the drugs themselves.Bryan Cranston stars as Mazer in this adaptation of Mazer's autobiographical book, which follows Mazer and a small group of fellow operatives into very dangerous territory as, under assumed identities as money launderers, they follow the trail of drug money back through the hierarchy of the Medellin cartel and its satellite organisations. The danger and the growing closeness with his fellow agent fictional fiancée threaten his marriage, a genuine affection grows with one of the drugs cartel and his wife, and an international bank is brought down.Bryan Cranston, as Mazer, is brilliant - why was this man not a star years ago? And the rest of the cast is solid, too, in a film which is essentially a suspense thriller - will they get found out before their infiltration exercise comes to fruition? The story told here is intricate: more intricate than it needs to be in a film which doesn't need the detail, much of which isn't greatly plot-relevant, in order to tell the story. You are left concentrating on intricacies which don't really matter: the real-life denseness, in which every detail mattered hugely, could have been simplified more than it has been, because the main plotline is actually relatively straightforward.And, because of this, and because it retells a real-life story, there are details thrown in which go nowhere. We expect the conventions of film to apply, so when a big thing is made of a gift of jewellery, we expect a major plot pay-off; instead we get a minor sidenote.This is quite a good movie and, I suspect, a pet project of Cranston (he and Mazer are co-credited as executive producers), but it didn't have, for me, the impact it felt as if it expected.

speedcanary This deeply affecting undercover operation hooked me from the start. The cast is exceptional as a whole, and Cranston shines. I really enjoyed the injections of humor from the supporting characters. There was authenticity and a sense of realism that I appreciate. Fascinating film that is definitely underrated.

jfa42 The Infiltrator is a terrific story that ends up only being a decent little picture because filmmaker Brad Furman drops the ball in some key areas. First off, the opening 45 minutes feel like every single drug/undercover/gangster picture you've ever seen all rolled up into one. If I told you the filmmakers chose to use the Curtis Mayfield song Pusherman, would I have to say anymore? Wow guys, really? Along those lines, this film takes place smack dab in the middle of the 80's but feels like a rehash of every 70's drug film. If one just looks at the 80's as some cheesy period, then it will be so... If one looks at it as a lively time w/ new music- 2nd British invasion, new design, some cool fashion aspects (and some cheesy) and some continued sexual experimentation. (The bi-sexual adviser to Escabor fit right in the times, too bad they kind of squandered the chance to do more w/ him.) Look no further than here for a great primer on the time period: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GG0MR5E#_swftext_Swf At bare minimum, the musical cues were awful, nothing even remotely 80's like at all. Eminence Front by The Who, that's your 80's tune? A classic rock icon of the 60's and 70's and from a record in 1982. A great Rush tune, Tom Sawyer, 1981, opens the film and sets the tempo for a nice scene. It would be okay to open w this but to bookend end w/ another classic rocker indicates the filmmakers had no regard or feel for the period. Try Depeche Mode, Yaz, PiL, hell Bauhaus or Love & Rockets for something edgier. Try something that at least evokes the period... There are a ton of mis steps just like it. For instance, Mom's are great, I bet Brad's Mom is especially awesome. But, letting her write the script? She may be apt to miss things like Wiseguys don't do facial hair (which was more a 70's than 80's thing.) The Wiseguy bodyguard has a big bushy beard, the pic of the real guy at the end of the film clearly illustrates the point. Look no further than here for some Made Man elucidation: https://www.amazon.com/Real-CASINO-Special- Bonus/dp/B008PBCT0A/ In addition, there's a definite sense here that no one associated w/ this film knows anything... and I mean anything about blow. Like uggatz, tho I'm sure Ma Furman loved to dole out mounds of the Colombian marching powder in her day. I mean, there was absolutely no sense of Cocaine permeating this picture at all, none! Just watch how GoodFellas & Casino do it, as Marty clearly did more than dabble. It's egregiously negligent seeing that the film is all about taking down Coke Cartels! And trust me, more than a few of these fellas got high on their own supply, no doubt. Also, it's not as if Ma Furman brought any new, rad feminist sensibility to the pic, it's neutral on the bechdel test at best. It easily could have been so much more. I know Brad's a talented dude, his first films The Take & Lincoln Lawyer were very skillfully crafted, and demonstrated real chops. Even tho the performances were very strong in The Infiltrator, This feels frankly like a wasted, half assed, lazy effort. When folks wanna get it right, they do the work. Take a TV show like Halt & Catch Fire, they really studied to capture the feel of 80's Dallas to get the details right, even renting the aforementioned doc, Warriors of the Discotheque, on the Iconic club of the area designed by Philippe Starck. Cities like Miami, Atlanta, and Dallas went thru a major growth spurt in the 80's, bustling w/ activity and construction, architecture, etc. you get no sense of it in this film, despite shooting in London. it seems they could've a more modern look and feel to the pic. The color scheme and design just screamed 70's!!! Films like these are not easy to make, and every time one gets made that doesn't reach its full potential it Def pisses me off. It makes it that much harder for (possibly better) projects of similar ilk to get lift off.

Gordon-11 This film is about an undercover agent, who infiltrates deep into the euros of drug lords and money laundering networks in order to capture the vast network of criminals. The infiltration goes so deep that it is hard to tell what is really happening."The Infiltrator" is a strange film to watch. There are elements that make me want to like the film, such as the undercover couple being very good in their roles. However, I find the characters very confusing, as I can hardly keep up with who is who, and who is on which side. When a guy is murdered in the club, I don't even know which side he is on, or who killed him. The story is not very engaging or suspenseful, so I can't say I liked it a lot.