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Infiltrator, The
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Diane Kruger, John Leguizamo, Amy Ryan, Benjamin Bratt, Elena Anaya, Juliet Aubrey, Jason Isaacs, Olympia Dukakis, Daniel Mays, Art Malik, Said Taghmaoui, Michael Paré
Director: Brad Furman
A grindingly routine drugs-bust story, relating a (largely) true account of US Treasury veteran Robert Mazur (Cranston) and his undercover role in bringing the drug kingpins of South America to book and stem the flow of Class A narcotics from Colombia to the United States.
Cranston seems a tad old for the role, but does well enough. As a follow-up to his triumph in Trumbo however, it's disappointingly half-baked.
Fortunately for the film and its luridly overheated camerawork, there are some charismatic supporting performances: Kruger looks younger than ever as Liz, the fake fiancée Mazur brandishes in his role as a super money launderer; Aubrey exudes warmth as the wife Mazur loves; and the ageless Leguizamo is at the peak of his fast-talking game as Mazur's cocky partner.
Prime performance in the film, though, is that of Bratt, who oozes charm and personality as high-living drugs dealer Roberto Alcaino, to whom and his wife (Anaya) Mazur and Liz get rather too close. The foursome's scenes together are the best in the movie as a 'fake' friendship develops uneasily into something rather more.
The long-unseen Dukakis pops in as Mazur's eccentric aunt. 'You should have stayed with accountancy,' she tells him. 'You could have cooked your uncle's books.'
David Quinlan
USA 2016. UK Distributor: Warner Brothers . Colour by Filmscope.
129 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.
Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 1, Swearing 2.
Review date: 12 Sep 2016