Movies About Mexican Cartel

From Brian De Palma, starring Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Rated R

Scarface is a 1983 crime drama directed by Brian De Palma and written by Oliver Stone, based on the 1932 film of the same name. The film follows the rise and fall of Cuban refugee and drug lord Tony Montana, who goes from being a small-time Miami street dealer to one of the most powerful drug kingpins of the 1980s. After getting involved in the drug trade, Montana becomes increasingly ruthless and violent, and eventually ends up on the wrong side of the law. The film also focuses on Montana's relationships with his family, his cocaine-addicted friend Manny, and his girlfriend Elvira Hancock. The film features an iconic, acid-tongued performance by Al Pacino in one of his most iconic roles. Scarface is a classic gangster movie, combining dark humor and intense violence with a compelling storyline and great performances.

From Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson
Rated R

No Country for Old Men is a 2007 neo-Western crime thriller film directed by the Coen brothers and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, and Javier Bardem. The film follows Llewelyn Moss, a hunter who stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and two million dollars in cash. In the chaos and violence that ensue, Moss is pursued by a relentless, psychopathic hitman, Anton Chigurh, and a stoic sheriff, Ed Tom Bell. Moss attempts to flee with the money, while Chigurh and Bell follow. As the pursuit progresses, the violence escalates, and the characters are forced to confront their own morality and values. The film is laced with multiple motifs, including fate, morality, and the harshness of the Texan desert. Ultimately, the film offers no easy answers, instead leaving the audience to grapple with the consequences of the characters’ actions.

From José Padilha, starring Wagner Moura, André Ramiro, Caio Junqueira, Milhem Cortaz
Rated R

Elite Squad is a Brazilian action-drama film directed by José Padilha. The film follows Captain Nascimento, a police officer in Rio de Janeiro who is tasked with forming a special operations unit to combat the rising crime rate in the city. The unit is composed of a group of young men and women who have been specifically trained to deal with the city's criminal underworld. The unit is deployed on a series of missions, with each mission becoming increasingly complex and dangerous. As they battle the criminal gangs, they are forced to confront the corruption and brutality in the police force. Eventually, their mission leads them to the biggest and most powerful criminal organization in the city. In the end, the unit is successful in its mission, but at a great cost to those involved.

From Billy Corben, starring Jon Roberts, Al Sunshine, Sam Burstyn, Mickey Munday
Rated R

Cocaine Cowboys is a 2006 documentary film directed by Billy Corben and produced by Alfred Spellman. The film chronicles the rise of drug trafficking in Miami during the 1970s and 1980s and its impact on the city. It features interviews with many of the people involved in the trade at the time, including smugglers, traffickers, police officers, DEA agents, and journalists. It puts a human face on the drug trade and its effects on the city, showing the corruption, violence, and impact it had on the people and businesses in Miami. The documentary also looks at the rise of Miami's economy due to the influx of drug money, and its subsequent fall when the cocaine trade began to decline.

From Denis Villeneuve, starring Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Jon Bernthal
Rated R

Sicario is a 2015 crime-thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, and Josh Brolin. The film follows FBI agent Kate Macer (Blunt) as she is enlisted by a mysterious government operative (Brolin) to join an interagency task force on a secret mission to take down a Mexican drug lord. She soon discovers that the mission is not what it appears to be and that she must make difficult moral choices in order to survive. The film paints a morally complex portrait of the drug war and the characters who are caught up in its ruthless cycle of violence.

From Steven Soderbergh, starring Michael Douglas, Benicio Del Toro, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jacob Vargas
Rated R

Traffic is a crime drama directed by Steven Soderbergh and released in 2000. The film follows the intertwining stories of three different groups of people caught up in the international war on drugs: a Mexican policeman determined to take down a powerful drug cartel, a newly appointed drug czar in the United States, and a newly single mother reluctantly involved with a drug dealer. The film examines the lives and struggles of each character as they grapple with their own personal and moral dilemmas in the face of a growing international crisis. With a star-studded cast, complex story arcs, and a gripping narrative, Traffic paints a thought-provoking and realistic picture of the devastating consequences of the drug trade.

From David Ayer, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick, America Ferrera
Rated R

End of Watch is a 2012 crime-drama film written and directed by David Ayer. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña as LAPD officers Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala. The film follows the two officers as they patrol the streets of South Central Los Angeles and become targets of a drug cartel. As their friendship deepens, the two must battle against dangerous drug lords and corrupt cops in order to survive. End of Watch is a gritty look at the dangers faced by police officers every day, and the bond of friendship between two officers.

From Ted Demme, starring Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Franka Potente, Rachel Griffiths
Rated R

Blow is a 2001 biopic drama directed by Ted Demme and starring Johnny Depp as George Jung, a real-life American drug smuggler. The film chronicles Jung's rise to becoming a millionaire through smuggling marijuana and cocaine into the United States, and his downfall when the drug trade finally catches up with him. The film follows Jung's life, starting with his tumultuous childhood, to his involvement with the Colombian cartel, to his eventual arrest and imprisonment. Along the way, Jung is faced with ethical dilemmas and struggles with his relationships with those closest to him, including his girlfriend, Barbara (Penelope Cruz), and his mentor, Diego (Jordi Mollà). Ultimately, Jung's life is a cautionary tale on the impact of drugs and the cost of greed.

From Matthew Heineman, starring Tim Nailer Foley, José Manuel 'El Doctor' Mireles, Paco Valencia, Chaneque
Rated R

From Shaul Schwarz, starring
Rated R

From Robert Rodriguez, starring Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Joaquim de Almeida, Cheech Marin
Rated R

From Stefano Sollima, starring Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Isabela Merced, Jeffrey Donovan
Rated R

From Phillip Noyce, starring Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe, Anne Archer, Joaquim de Almeida
Rated PG-13

From Baltasar Kormákur, starring Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Paula Patton, Bill Paxton
Rated R

From Gerardo Naranjo, starring Stephanie Sigman, Noé Hernández, Irene Azuela, J.R. Yenque
Rated R

From Oliver Stone, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Benicio Del Toro
Rated R

From Ric Roman Waugh, starring Dwayne Johnson, Susan Sarandon, Jon Bernthal, Rafi Gavron
Rated PG-13

From Robert Rodriguez, starring Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Willem Dafoe
Rated R

From Jee-woon Kim, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Knoxville, Rodrigo Santoro
Rated R

From F. Gary Gray, starring Vin Diesel, Timothy Olyphant, Larenz Tate, Geno Silva
Rated R

From Michael Mann, starring Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Gong Li, Naomie Harris
Rated R

From David Ayer, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Terrence Howard, Olivia Williams
Rated R

From Ridley Scott, starring Michael Fassbender, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem
Rated R