Cocaine Cowboys
by Billy Corben
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Al Sunshine, Bob Palumbo, Jon Roberts, Mickey Munday, Sam BurstynDirector: Billy Corben
Brand: MAGNOLIA HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Cinematographer: Armando Salas
Editor: Billy Corben
Producer: Billy Corben
Editor: David Cypkin
Producer: David Cypkin
Producer: Alfred Spellman
Producer: Bruno del Granado
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0; 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: WOW! I can't believe it took me so long to watch this!
Summary: 5 Stars
I had heard about this documentary from a friend of mine who raved about it. My "movies to watch" list is so long I just kind of added it to the list and didn't worry too much about it. I decided to sit down and watch it last night and WOW! I am sorry I didn't watch it sooner. This is an explosive, exciting story of real-life drug smuggling, murders, and high living in Miami in the 80s. One thing I loved about this documentary was that there was no narrator. So many documentaries get bogged down because the narrator just drones on and on, and won't get out of the story's way. In this documentary, the directors let the subjects tell the story and it is way more authentic and entertaining that way. I also really liked the innovative visuals, using still photographs and cutouts of photographs to illustrate things.
This documentary makes an interesting point - as bloody and destructive as the Miami drug wars were, they did result in the construction of modern Miami. Although one person in the documentary says "too many people died, it wasn't worth it" you do have to wonder where Miami would be today without the massive cash influx provided by illegal drug smuggling in the 1980s. As someone who believes drug legalization (at the very least, for marijuana and "softer" drugs) should be more seriously considered, I thought the point was interesting and well-made. Think how much money is generated by the drug trade each year; then think about what that money could do if it were harnessed and controlled by the government, who would also have more power to regulate drug violence.
This is an awesome documentary even if you are the type who hates documentaries. Captivating and compelling.
Summary of Cocaine Cowboys
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:?10063More 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
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