The Infiltrator
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBrad Furman
Screenplay byEllen Brown Furman
Based onThe Infiltrator
by Robert Mazur
Produced by
  • Paul Brennan
  • Miriam Segal
  • Brad Furman
  • Don Sikorski
Starring
CinematographyJoshua Reis
Edited by
Music byChris Hajian
Production
companies
Good Films
Lipsync
Distributed byBroad Green Pictures
Release dates
  • July 6, 2016 (2016-07-06) (Tampa Theatre)
  • July 13, 2016 (2016-07-13) (United States)
Running time
127 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28–47.5 million[2][3]
Box office$22.2 million[3]

The Infiltrator is a 2016 American biographical crime drama thriller film directed by Brad Furman and written by his mother Ellen Brown Furman. The film is based on the eponymous autobiography by Robert Mazur, a U.S. Customs special agent, who in the 1980s helped bust Pablo Escobar's money-laundering organization by going undercover as a corrupt businessman.[4] The film stars Bryan Cranston as Mazur, with Diane Kruger, Benjamin Bratt, John Leguizamo, Saïd Taghmaoui, Joe Gilgun and Amy Ryan in supporting roles.

Filming began on February 23, 2015, in London. Both Mazur and Cranston received executive producer credits. The film premiered at the Tampa Theatre on July 6, 2016 and was released the following week in theaters. The film received a generally positive response from critics, but a poor response from audiences, as it grossed $22 million against a budget of between $28 and $47 million.

Plot

During the 1980s, U.S. Customs Service special agent Robert Mazur uses his undercover alias "Bob Musella" to become a pivotal player for drug lords laundering their dirty cash. Later, he infiltrates the world's largest cartel, and helps expose the money-laundering organization of drug lord Pablo Escobar[5] and take down the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), which had secretly taken illegal ownership of First American Bankshares in Washington, D.C..

Cast

Production

The project was first announced by The Hollywood Reporter on October 8, 2014, with Brad Furman as director and Bryan Cranston as Robert Mazur; Miriam Segal produced the film for her Good Films banner along with George Films. Relativity International was announced to sell the film to foreign distributors at the American Film Market.[6] On February 13, 2015, Diane Kruger was chosen to star for the unspecified female lead role.[7] Benjamin Bratt was selected to star in the film as Roberto Alcaino, the agent's contact who dealt directly with cartel board members, including Escobar.[9] On March 10, 2015, additional cast members were chosen, including John Leguizamo, Amy Ryan, Olympia Dukakis, Elena Anaya, and Juliet Aubrey.[8] Broad Green Pictures acquired the US rights to the film on May 21, 2015.[10]

Cranston and Leguizamo previously worked together in The Lincoln Lawyer, which Furman directed.

Filming

Filming was previously set to begin in March 2015 in Tampa, Florida, but then moved to London and Paris.[11] According to SSN Insider, filming began on February 23, 2015.[12] On March 11, 2015, the studio confirmed that filming was underway in London and released a first-look image from the film.[5]

The production moved to Florida at the end of April;[5] filming began in Tampa on April 22, 2015, on location at Port Tampa Bay.[13][14] On April 28, 2015, they filmed in Parkland Estates, near the former home of Santo Trafficante, an infamous Tampa mob boss.

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, The Infiltrator opened on Wednesday, July 13, 2016, and was projected to gross $5–8 million from 1,600 theaters in its opening five days.[15] The film grossed $773,761 on its first day and $5.3 million in its opening weekend (a five-day total of $6.7 million), finishing eighth at the box office.[3]

Critical response

As of June 2020, the film holds a 72% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 179 reviews and an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Infiltrator's compelling fact-based story and tremendously talented cast are often just enough to balance out its derivative narrative and occasionally clunky execution."[16] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 66 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[17] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[18]

Lawsuit

In 2016, Javier Ospina Baraya sued Robert Mazur and the makers of the film for what he alleged was an erroneous impression given of him.[19] In 2019 the Florida State Appeals Court ruled the suit could proceed.[20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Infiltrator (15)". British Board of Film Classification. August 16, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  2. ↑ "The Infiltrator". BoxOfficeFlops.com. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "The Infiltrator (2016)". The Numbers. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  4. ↑ Hasan, Saad (April 12, 2015). "Robert Mazur: The man behind the downfall of a Pakistani's greatest commercial achievement: Former US customs agent, Robert Mazur, reflects on the past; says it wasn't personal". The Express Tribune. Pakistan. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 Lesnick, Silas (March 11, 2015). "Check Out Bryan Cranston and Diane Kruger in the First Still from The Infiltrator". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Szalai, Georg (October 8, 2014). "Bryan Cranston Attached to Star in Thriller 'The Infiltrator'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 13, 2015). "Diane Kruger to Star with Bryan Cranston in 'The Infiltrator'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 Tartaglione, Nancy (March 10, 2015). "Amy Ryan, John Leguizamo & More Join 'The Infiltrator' With Bryan Cranston". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 6, 2015). "Benjamin Bratt Joins Bryan Cranston in 'The Infiltrator'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  10. ↑ Jaafar, Ali (May 21, 2015). "Bryan Cranston-Diane Kruger Drama 'The Infiltrator' In $4 Million Broad Green U.S. Deal- Cannes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Extras needed for 'Infiltrator', starring Bryan Cranston, in Tampa". On Location Vacations. February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  12. ↑ "On the Set for 2/23/15: Pirates of the Caribbean 5 & Snowden Begin Shooting, Joel Edgerton Wraps On Film for Blumhouse". SSN Insider. February 23, 2015. Archived from the original on June 10, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  13. ↑ Snider, Eric (April 22, 2015). "'The Infiltrator' begins shooting in Bay area; Cranston is here". Tampa Bay Business Journal. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  14. ↑ Clark, Crystal (April 25, 2015). "'The Infiltrator' starts filming in Tampa". WTVT-TV/DT FOX 13 News. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  15. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 12, 2016). "'Pets' Ain't Afraid Of No Ghosts: Weekend Box Office Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  16. ↑ "The Infiltrator (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  17. ↑ "The Infiltrator Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  18. ↑ "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  19. ↑ McMorris, Frances (September 21, 2016). "Author of 'The Infiltrator' facing defamation lawsuit". Tampa Bay Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  20. ↑ News Service of Florida, The (July 11, 2019). "Pinellas court refuses to scuttle 'Infiltrator' lawsuit". Tampa Bay Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
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