Cocaine Cowboys
2006
**½
Director: Billy Corben
Cast:
In the late 1970s and early 1980s cocaine landed in Miami and quickly transformed the city into the murder capital of the world. The first half of this documentary explains how the narcotics were imported from Colombia to the U.S. The second half focuses on the ensuing drug war, and particularly on its ruthless leader Griselda Blanco who needed no excuse to kill anyone on her way. Billy Corben's overlong film provides an informative but pointless look into the minutiae of the drug trade. The drug traffickers brag about how much money they made and the enforcer details how many people he killed. The only thing missing is a user who explains what it feels like to be under the influence of cocaine. Corben's restless visuals and breakless narration give you an idea, though. His use of images of bullet-ridden men, women and children is in poor taste. The score was written by Miami Vice composer Jan Hammer.
