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14th September 2016
12:14pm BST
Is there a more consistently fascinating criminal of the 20th century than Pablo Escobar?
Part-scourge, part-Robin Hood, he was reviled and loved in equal measures by the people of Colombia. The subject of dozens of books and films (and even the odd JOE article), the mythology behind Escobar isn't set to diminish anytime soon.
Narcos had an amazing lead in Wagner Moura, a star-making turn that was universally praised by critics. The leading man in The Infiltrator ain't no slouch either...
The supremely talented Bryan Cranston takes on the role of a lifetime as CIA agent Robert Mazur, an undercover customs agent who served as a money-launderer for Pablo Escobar's drug empire.
Mazur had to go deep undercover in order to befriend the criminals he hoped to take down and, much like Escobar, Mazur's life and identity were in constant states of flux as he switched from being a devoted family man to his persona as a dangerous, amoral outlaw.
Cranston's supported by one of the best ensembles of the year.
John Leguizamo portrays Mazur's larger-than-life partner, Inglorious Basterds star, Diane Kruger, is another CIA agent who plays Mazur's undercover fiancee and Benjamin Bratt is the liaison to the cartel.
Brilliantly for Irish fans, The Infiltrator stars a man who is no stranger to organised crime, Nidge AKA Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, also along for the ride as Mazur's supervisor.
Imagine having to talk to an eejit off their face at a party, but instead of it being for one night, it goes on for years and years and years.
This is a level of acting commitment that makes Daniel Day-Lewis look like a lazy bum.
Unlike Narcos, The Infiltrator focuses more heavily on taking down the bank that Escobar used to launder his mountains of drug money.
The Bank of Credit and Commerce International were only to happy to turn the Colombian cocaine money into legitimate assets. Mazur and his team targeted the bank with surgical precision, and the bank employees were ultimately more unpredictable and untrustworthy than any of Pablo's criminal associates.
The film begins in the very sunny Tampa, Florida, in 1985, while the action hops between Florida and the steamy jungles of Colombia where drugs kingpin Pablo Escobar's cocaine operation was turning a profit that dwarfs the GDP of most countries.
And sure what could help you enjoy that sunny weather in paradise more than some Factor 50 suncream, a 99 with a flake in it and a big pile of cocaine.
The JOE Film Club Quiz: Week 87
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