Ten Things You Should Know About "The Infiltrator"

1. It came out on Wednesday

You may not have realized this because the marketing for it has been both sparse and generally uninformative.

2. It stars Bryan Cranston 

As usual, he is absolutely fantastic, both in the biggest moments and with the smallest details of his posture, facial expressions, and vocal inflections. The guy simply can do no wrong. 

3. It has fantastic cinematography

The Infiltrator is directed by Brad Furman, who is most famous for his part in the McConnaisance as the director of 2011's The Lincoln Lawyer. His current project is a true family affair, as the script for The Infiltrator was written by his mother, Ellen. Brad does excellent work in this film, shooting standard conversation scenes in really interesting ways that add to the tension and drama that run throughout the film. He effectively uses tracking shots and extended cuts, and he really makes the most of the outstanding performances he is given by this truly deep cast. Furman also displays an affection for clubs with trippy neon lights and drop dead gorgeous, glitter covered entertainers, so there's that.

4. The Infiltrator tells the true story of a Federal Agent's attempt to (wait for it) infiltrate the Medellin Drug Cartel run by Pablo Escobar

You probably don't know that even if you have seen the trailer, because again, the marketing for this movie has been freaking terrible. 

5. You should NOT research this story beforehand

Even though the plot can be hard to follow, the beauty of this film is not in the finer points of the story. The outline of what is going on is NOT hard to follow, and a lot of my enjoyment of this movie would have been lost if I knew in advance what was going to happen.

6. This movie is incredibly intense

There were at least 4 or 5 genuine "HOLY SHIT" moments for me, which definitely would have been dulled if I knew anything about the story going in (obviously).

7. There is solid comic relief

A lot of this movie is challenging, so it's necessary to have a couple characters who make you laugh. Without those guys, a film with this much stress could be really bad for your health.

8. People die in this movie

It's about the most famous drug cartel ever, Im not sure why you'd go to this if you have a problem with that. Just don't get too attached to anyone.

9. This movie does not spoonfeed the audience

There is very little exposition in this film, and you have to pay attention to understand the details of the plot. They even eschew the "leader of the unit explains the plan in the meeting" scenes, instead going for hyper realism; "you know what to do, now go get it done!" Basically, this is not a movie you should get drunk or stoned before going to. 

10. I really liked this film

In case you couldn't tell already, I recommend seeing this one.