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Poster for Cartel Land

Cartel Land

Seen it?

2015 | 101 min | Drama, Documentary

Friday Night Flick

Why it’s a Friday Night Flick

Critics loved it (90% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it won 3 Emmys. Make plans for this one.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for the curious. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
The mood
Eye-opening.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 41 min.
What might put you off
  • Rated R: expect violence and drug use.
  • Audiences were cooler on it than critics.

In the Mexican state of Michoacán, Dr. Jose Mireles, a small-town physician known as "El Doctor," shepherds a citizen uprising against the Knights Templar, the violent drug cartel that has wreaked havoc on the region for years. Meanwhile, in Arizona's Altar Valley—a narrow, 52-mile-long desert corridor known as Cocaine Alley—Tim "Nailer" Foley, an American veteran, heads a small paramilitary group called Arizona Border Recon, whose goal is to halt Mexico’s drug wars from seeping across our border.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    90% on Rotten Tomatoes, 76 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesSolid

    7.2 out of 10

  • AwardsStrong

    Won 1 DGA Award: Directors Guild of America: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary. Also nominated for 1 Oscar and 1 BAFTA. Plus 15 other awards.

  • Box office & staying powerWeak

    $1 million worldwide; interest faded quickly after launch

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 26K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Matthew Heineman

  • Robert HetrickHimself
  • José Manuel Mireles ValverdeHimself
  • Tim Nailer FoleySelf (as Tim 'Nailer' Foley)
  • Paco ValencianoSelf - Autodefensas Comandante
  • ChanequeSelf - drug cartel thug
  • CaballoSelf - drug cartel thug
  • Enrique Peña NietoSelf
  • Ana ValenciaSelf - Manuel Mireles' wife
  • Estanislao BeltráninSelf - spokesman, Autodefensas
  • Janet FieldsSelf - Tim Foley's girlfriend