Reviewed by Neil Davey
Featuring Jon Pernell Roberts, Mickey Munday, Jorge 'Rivi' Ayala,
Al Sunshine, Sam Burstyn, Bob Palumbo, Toni Mooney,
Edna Buchanan, Joseph Davis, Al Singleton
Produced by Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman
Certification UK 18 | US R
Runtime 118 minutes
Directed by Billy Corben
With its pastel shades and Jan Hammer soundtrack, Cocaine Cowboys starts in the way you hoped Michael Mann's disappointing Miami Vice movie would have. It's an odd position for a documentary to take but, when your subject matter is the cocaine business — and excesses — of the 1980s, and the stories are as breathtaking as these, who can blame them for the reference?
It's a guiltily pleasurable start to a guiltily pleasurable film. The stories are frequently hilarious and the people involved are charming and witty which is why when the true nature of the business, the frank brutality and astonishing violence, is discussed, the shock is palpable. The biggest irony, of course, is that if you did serve up some of these stories as fiction they'd be written off as far fetched. The biggest shocks to the system come from Jorge 'Rivi' Ayala, hitman for the Queen of Cocaine, Griselda Blanco. He's interviewed in prison and a more cultured, calm individual it would be hard to imagine. He's courteous, well spoken, honest and looks like a well-groomed grandfather. The fact that he's killed and killed and killed for money is all too easy to forget.
The film does possibly outstay its welcome a little but, all in all, this is fascinating and jaw-dropping fare that, for all its gloss and that thumping Jan Hammer soundtrack, doesn't glamourise the industry. According to Billy Corben, there are more stories to come on DVD sequels — see Billy Corben interview for details — and if they're half as good as these, they'll be essential purchases.