Cocaine Cowboys

Cocaine Cowboys
by Billy Corben

Cocaine Cowboys
Our Price: $14.98
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $7.09 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases


(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada

DVD Cover Information

Actor: Al Sunshine, Bob Palumbo, Jon Roberts (III), Mickey Munday, Sam Burstyn
Director: Billy Corben
Brand: MAGNOLIA HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Audio: English (Original Language); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 118 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-01-23
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Magnolia

Movie Reviews of Cocaine Cowboys

Movie Review: Money, Power and Drugs make for great entertainment
Summary: 4 Stars

I caught this on Showtime a few weeks back and wow was it entertaining. More of a shockumentary then a documentary, most of the major players are interviewed and all of them tell a pretty compelling story about the cocaine trade of Miami. You could tell that these guys were proud of what they did and how they pulled it off. Not in a macho, arrogant type way but a calm and collective way that really makes it like you could talk to these guys as if they were just anyone else on the street. It did what it was supposed to do, not change the channel and keep you in your seats.

Summary of Cocaine Cowboys

More of a real-life exploitation film than a bonafide documentary, Cocaine Cowboys is tailor-made for anyone who worships Brian De Palma's Scarface. It's no surprise that this slick, energetic film found a niche audience among crime-obsessed hip-hoppers; from a journalistic perspective it's an irresponsible mess, but director Billy Corben is obviously more interested in capturing the thrills and danger of the drug trade that transformed Miami, Florida during the Miami Vice era of the late 1970s and '80s. Corben has no particular interest in seriously examining the sociopolitical implications of Miami's drug-fueled rise and fall, so Cocaine Cowboys lives up to its title by focusing on some of the most colorful, daring, and outrageously successful survivors of that era, when tons of cocaine were distributed through Miami by the kingpins of Colombia's notorious Medellin cartel. Chief among the many interviewees are Jon Roberts and Mickey Munday (who personally transported over $2 billion worth of cocaine into Miami) and Jorge "Rivi" Ayala, a convicted drug-trade assassin now serving consecutive life terms in prison. They're lively storytellers who are egotistically eager to share their coke-tales, and Corben's only too happy to capture their exploits on film, up to and including the dubious use of violent reenactments that could easily serve as a recruitment film for Tony Montana wannabes.

It's simultaneously disgusting and compelling, especially since Corben has a knack for matching swift editing to the pulsing score by TV's original Miami Vice composer Jan Hammer. In the final analysis, it must be said that Cocaine Cowboys succeeds as a brash and breathtaking record of a bygone era, when murder rates were at an all-time high, coke was everywhere, and Miami was financially transformed into a nightlife mecca where criminals were kings. Or queens, as in the case of Griselda Blanco, the ruthless and self-appointed "Godmother" of the cocaine trade, who was responsible for countless murders and as of 2007 remained at large, her whereabouts unknown. All of this deadly life in the fast lane makes for a fascinating movie, but Corben and coproducer David Cypkin's breathless commentary makes it clear that they're young, immature thrill-seekers, and their film makes no apologies for glorifying the drug trade while exploring its bloody and frequently fatal consequences. Their commentary also accompanies an abundance of deleted scenes, and there's also a bonus featurette, "Hustlin' with the Godmother," in which Griselda Blanco's former lover and big-time coke dealer Charles Cosby tells his story, which clearly has all the makings of a Hollywood movie along the lines of Blow. You can bet that film will eventually be made, and don't be surprised if it's Corben who makes it. --Jeff Shannon


The cocaine trade of the 70s and 80s had an indelible impact on contemporary Miami. Smugglers and distributors forever changed a once sleepy retirement community into one of the world s most glamorous hot spots the epicenter of a $20 billion annual business fed by Colombia s Medellin cartel. By the early 80s Miami s tripled homicide rate had made it the murder capital of the country for which a Time cover story dubbed the city "Paradise Lost."System Requirements:Run Time: 118 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. Rating: R UPC: 876964000635 Manufacturer No: 10063

Drama DVD Video

DVD Video
Movies most talked about in Drama DVD Video
Lost - The Complete Fourth Season ImageLost - The Complete Fourth Season
Buena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2008-12-09; DVD
Best price: $38.99
Price in other shops: $59.99
P.S. I Love You ImageP.S. I Love You
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-05-06; DVD
Best price: $12.00
Price in other shops: $28.98
Grey's Anatomy: The Complete Fourth Season ImageGrey's Anatomy: The Complete Fourth Season
Buena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2008-09-09; DVD
Best price: $38.99
Price in other shops: $59.99
The Other Boleyn Girl ImageThe Other Boleyn Girl
Sony; Release date: 2008-06-10; DVD
Best price: $10.00
Price in other shops: $28.96
The Wire - The Complete Fifth Season ImageThe Wire - The Complete Fifth Season
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-08-12; DVD
Best price: $38.99
Price in other shops: $59.99
Bones - The Complete Second Season ImageBones - The Complete Second Season
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2007-09-11; DVD
Best price: $24.00
Price in other shops: $59.98
Dexter - The Complete Second Season ImageDexter - The Complete Second Season
PARAMOUNT PICTURES; Release date: 2008-08-19; DVD
Best price: $25.99
Price in other shops: $39.98
House, M.D. - Season Four ImageHouse, M.D. - Season Four
Release date: 2008-08-19; DVD
Best price: $38.99
Price in other shops: $59.98
Mad Men - Season One ImageMad Men - Season One
LION'S GATE ENTERTAINMENT; Release date: 2008-07-01; DVD
Best price: $29.93
Price in other shops: $49.98
John Adams (HBO Miniseries) ImageJohn Adams (HBO Miniseries)
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-06-10; DVD
Best price: $32.91
Price in other shops: $59.99
Similar DVD Movies
Blow (Infinifilm Edition) ImageBlow (Infinifilm Edition)
DEPP,JOHNNY; Release date: 2001-09-11; DVD
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops: $19.96
Drug Lords: The Rise and Fall of the Cali Cartel ImageDrug Lords: The Rise and Fall of the Cali Cartel
by Ron Chepesiuk
Milo Books; Published: 2005-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.24
Price in other shops: $13.95
Kingpin: The Pablo Escobar Story ImageKingpin: The Pablo Escobar Story
Release date: 2007-06-26; DVD
Best price: $9.91
Price in other shops: $13.98
Mr. Untouchable ImageMr. Untouchable
MAGNOLIA HOME ENTERTAINMENT; Release date: 2008-01-29; DVD
Best price: $10.45
Price in other shops: $26.98
As Is: The Breakdown of Cocaine Cowboys ImageAs Is: The Breakdown of Cocaine Cowboys
Release date: 2007-01-16; DVD
Best price: $24.00
American Gangster - The Complete First Season ImageAmerican Gangster - The Complete First Season
Release date: 2007-10-23; DVD
Best price: $7.94
Price in other shops: $26.99
As Is: Rick Ross Story ImageAs Is: Rick Ross Story
MUSIC VIDEO DIST; Release date: 2008-07-22; DVD
Best price: $11.99
Price in other shops: $13.98
Drug Wars ImageDrug Wars
CSDC, LLC; Release date: 2005-09-26; DVD
Best price: $6.55
Price in other shops: $16.99
Cocaine Cowboys 2 - Hustlin' With The Godmother ImageCocaine Cowboys 2 - Hustlin' With The Godmother
MAGNOLIA HOME ENTERTAINMENT; Release date: 2008-07-29; DVD
Best price: $13.48
Price in other shops: $26.98
Shottas ImageShottas
Sony; Release date: 2007-01-02; DVD
Best price: $7.16
Price in other shops: $14.94
Compare prices and read customer reviews for more than one million DVD titles.
Oscar 2005 Winners