Cocaine Cowboys
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Movie Reviews of Cocaine Cowboys
Movie Review: A must-see documentary about Miami, FL bubble fueled by powder
Summary: 4 Stars
Cocaine Cowboys (2006) by Billy Corben, is a must-see documentary,
with several first-hand protagonists covering the Miami underworld
in the mid-70's to mid-1980's.
In dire straights economically during the early 70's, Miami turned
into a boomtown over the 10 years, as it became not only an
entrypoint but a revolving door in the ganja and cocaine trade,
with the associated money laundering of profits, from a monopoly
run by Colombians and Cubans.
This narcotics prosperity turned into a bubble, fueling consumer
spending, ranging from dozens of banks opening up and receiving
cash deposits 50 times higher than usual, to the construction of
condominium and apartment towers, shopping malls, spikes in jewelry
and luxury car sales, yachts, single-engine aircraft, expensive
tailored suits, entire neighborhoods going up in value, mansions,
race horses, privately owned helicopters, nightclubs, cigarette
gofast speedboats, shortwave SSB radio towers and surveillance
gear, over 5 to 10 years.
Similarly to the Sicilian pizza connection of the time (made up of
lethal and independent rural-based operators) the supply in Miami
stems from rural-based businessmen. P Escobar, F Ochoa and Lehder
in Medellin, Colombia, with a USA honcho G. Blanco.
First, it's all about the concentration of wealth and power at the
top, and homicides running in the 100's at the bottom, with rival
gangs competing for sales market share, territory and control,
using Uzi's, M-16 or AR-15, silencers, modified delivery trucks
used as tanks, etc.
Second, the outcome of economic dependency is a large collapse
in business ethics. The urgency in expanding the number of
officers, results in a compromise of hiring standards. Soon after,
payoffs, corruption and involvement of these in narcotics
operations, the cover of politicians in the US, but also in
Nicaragua with Manuel Noriega and his banks laundering profits
($10m in cash per plane) and by Colombian authorities, with a
massive industrial farming of coca.
Third, the federal branch comes to the rescue, from alarming PR,
turning the tides of this conflict, the forming of Centac-26 .
The laissez faire economics mantra changes, from the earlier the
use of Marco Isle, Everglades for aircraft and boats (each carrying
$31m wholesale, $1b retail), or barns as aircraft hangars, or air
dropped canisters, etc.
Fourth, the social upheaval of Miami is covered, such as the Cuban
boat lift of 1982, the gang homicides, and changed recreational
attitudes of wealthy Americans, snorting, free-basing or smoking
coca casually.
A large part of the film explains the processes, strategies,
vehicles, logistics of how the import export was done and who was
involved, enough to keep the story spicy, upbeat and credible over
2 hours.
Strong footage of rubouts is shows, not for the faint, confirming
a lack of humanity those, often done in broad daylight, involving
men, women but not only.
Movie Review: A down-and-dirty Wild West story
Summary: 4 Stars
Cocaine Cowboys is an aptly-titled 2-hour documentary about the cocaine economy which built modern day Miami. The documentary covers the flashiest crimes and personalities in the cocaine explosion of the 1980's. Director Billy Corben tells the story of the city built on cocaine via interviews with smugglers, hit men, and dealers. This isn't a socio-political look at the drug trade, rather, it is a down-and-dirty Wild West story, complete with a Godmother who could give Scarface a run for his money.
It does drag in parts, and could have been told in a more streamlined fashion. Even at 2-hours on length, the DVD has another two dozen deleted scenes, for anyone who wants more time with the men on the street. Anyone who enjoyed Scarface or Blow needs to pick this one up, as does any armchair economic historian.
Movie Review: for a documentary film, this is perhaps one of the best(s)
Summary: 4 Stars
the editing is seemless, from scene to scene, the two key persons although sat and talked, the connecting scenes to link their descriptions were simply perfect. the script was pretty tight too. when the 3rd guy, the chicago enforcer who later took over the killing jobs for that crazy woman drug lord, the storyline never fell apart, even it's still provided with slides. the sound track is also pretty good. i've never lost focus on the whole film, not like that pathetic 'shadow company', only provided something that we already knew and saw on all the tv channels news. the drug money indeed had made what the miami look as today, without it, miami certain would have just become an old geezers paradise.Movie Review: Cocaine Exploration
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie is well crafted and edited in such a way that you feel like you have been transported back to the mid 70's. The soundtrack, the backdrops and the editing style strictly reflect the raw nature of the gripping documentary. My only drawback on this 2 hour epic is the dramatic change an hour into it from the American point of view to the Cuban/Columbian point of view. A little too hasty and tended to drag in parts. Other than that a must have for lovers of Scarface and Miami Vice. A lot of interesting facts, so many so that it's hard to believe that the two main narrators in this doco are still alive.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.