Matthew Heineman's Cartel Land is a raw, and unflinching portrait of two modern day vigilante groups, the Autodefensas and the Arizona Border Recon, each sharing the same enemy in the Mexican cartels, who leave a trail of death wherever they go. The Autodefensas are headed up by Dr. Jose Mireles, a small-town physician, a man who decided enough was enough, leading a citizen uprising against the violent Mexican cartels that sees everyday citizens taking up arms in order to protect their lives and families. On the other side of the border is Tim "Nailer" Foley, an American War Veteran, who heads up the Arizona Border Recon, a small paramilitary group that aims to keep Mexico's drug war on the southern side of the border. Using an intricate, on-the-ground approach, Mattew Heineman's Cartel Land provides one of the most in-depth looks at terror, despair, and bloodshed brought by the Mexican Cartels and how little the respective governments in the United States and Mexico can do to stop it. Constantly evolving, Cartel Land is a film that begins as an ode to the power of the people, showing what happens in both countries when the government does little-to-nothing to protect its people. The film doesn't hold back in showing the violent brutality of the Mexican cartels, painting a harrowing portrait of everyday citizens living in constant fear. We see the good caused by both the Autodefensas and the Arizona Border Recon, who attempt to wage a war against the Cartels when their governments will not, but as Cartel Land progresses, the film's deeper truths are revealed, capturing how making a difference through violence may be necessary at times but it's never clean. Cartel Land is a film about the horrendous cycle of violence, a hopeless and unstoppable force that can only be subdued, never vanquished. This is a film that doesn't demonize nor romanticize vigilante violence, only offering up the idea that it is only a stopgap not a solution. Lines become further blurred when we begin to see criminal activity and violence from within the ranks of the Autodefensa itself, as this vigilante group eventually becomes a part of the Mexican government's task force. Never focused on the political aspect, Cartel Land does reveal a lackadaisical government, when it comes to fighting the drug war, suggesting that the government itself is full of corruption, that eventually infiltrates the Autodefensa. Extremely well photographed, the film feels more like a haunting narrative at times, with Cartel Land always taking a neutral approach in examining this hostile environment, never judging or jumping to conclusions about its characters, factions, and causes, simply exposing the cruel reality and gray areas that exist in a region plagued by extreme violence. The film captures the complexities of this whole mess, even making sure to never ignore the effect poverty has on being the driving force behind cartel recruitment. A harrowing portrait of the entangled mess the drug war has bred, Mattew Heineman's Cartel Land exposes how corruption, greed, and violence has created a world where good and evil almost become completely blurred.
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June 2023
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