Featured Audience Ratings

• Jeff "

  
  Cocaine Cowboys is an interesting documentary about the cocaine trade in Miami in the 1970's. The subject is fascinating and the interviews are from the guys who took part in the illicit trade. Jon Roberts and Mickey Munday recount their experience. The film also takes a look at… More
  Cocaine Cowboys is an interesting documentary about the cocaine trade in Miami in the 1970's. The subject is fascinating and the interviews are from the guys who took part in the illicit trade. Jon Roberts and Mickey Munday recount their experience. The film also takes a look at the lawlessness of Miami due to Cocaine wars. This film is raw, gritty and intense. The film is quite good, but due to kinetic editing and awkward pacing, it is hard to follow. It almost feels like the director didn't know to find a perfect pace for the film. Aside from that, this is still entertaining and there is plenty of information that will bring to light this interesting subject. This is not a film for everyone, but it is a must see for people interested in true crime subjects. This is a compelling film, but it should been done better. The way it was put together feels amateurish, but luckily enough the subjects tell a good account of events, which what makes this standout and overcome its flaws. Some of the accounts are quite bone chilling and disturbing. This is a worthwhile documentary, but not the best I've seen. The film feels like a made for TV documentary, but nonetheless it's interesting for what it is, but is not a film worth watching again and again. Cocaine Cowboys is flawed of course, but if you love true gangster stories of real accounts, then this is the film for you, but be warned, it's not well edited and it feels a bit rushed in terms of the way it was filmed. For such a topic, you'd think that it would be a great documentary, but it's merely a good one at best.

• Mike S

  
  Very gripping account of the history of the drug trade, and how it transformed the U.S into a crime-infested war zone. Centered around interviews with some of the pivotal names behind the killings and smuggling, we get a shocking inside-look into the minds and events that got it all… More
  Very gripping account of the history of the drug trade, and how it transformed the U.S into a crime-infested war zone. Centered around interviews with some of the pivotal names behind the killings and smuggling, we get a shocking inside-look into the minds and events that got it all started. What's scarier yet though, is that many of these cold-blooded murderers and morally depraved criminals, bear the faces of ordinary people, that you'd never imagine to be taking lives for a living. Such as the reign of the "The Godmother" - a Colombian woman who for a while ruled the underworld for the Medellín Cartel. A truly despicable human being, who would send assassins to murder children, for the simple reason that they belonged to a rivalling family. Or as in the case with one of her hitmen, Jorge "Rivi" Ayala, who brags in the interviews about the countless killings he did for The Godmother. It left me with a bad feeling in the stomach, just hearing about the sick and evil atrocities of these heartless monsters. In spite of this though, I was thoroughly compelled by the stories shared with us. It dispels a lot of the illusions created by Hollywood and popular media, while at the same unveiling that sometimes reality transcends the fictional. A truly horrifying exposé, but also brilliantly constructed and compellingly absorbing. A word of warning for those planning to see this though: the imagery of this film is at times extremely gruesome and disturbing. So much to the point that I would label it as snuff. If you can endure that, however, then I can highly recommend this very thought-provoking and emotionally stirring documentary.

• Randy T

  
  Billy Corben's stunning documentary details the inner workings of Miami's cocaine cartel by soliciting testimony from the people who made it happen. WARNING: some of the crime scene photos and stock news footage is graphic.

• Daniel H

  
  The first few minutes scream "amateur", almost making you wonder wether the cheesy visuals and re-enactnment / stock footage montages are going to be the primary story-telling vehicle. And then, it all clears up, and you are left with a nicely-done if a bit… More
  The first few minutes scream "amateur", almost making you wonder wether the cheesy visuals and re-enactnment / stock footage montages are going to be the primary story-telling vehicle. And then, it all clears up, and you are left with a nicely-done if a bit standardly-executed and long-winded look at the Cocaine Trade of Miami in the 70's and 80's. The range of interviewees is excellent, the stories are interesting and genuine. It could have covered a bit more ground given the time period, such as the perspectives from the Columbian Cartels, but this is probably hoping for the impossible. Finally, there is almost no moralizing, which is a refreshing and clarifying touch to a documentary about drug trafficking, and this alone makes the film worth the rental price.

• William G

  
  Insightful drug doc is marred by overdone editing.

• matt s

  
  Alex hit this one on the head. Questionable editing, and the American pilot guy is a big prick. Some of the things he says are just, "wow, really, man?" But interesting, nonetheless, in its depiction of the cartel.

• Remi L

  
  VERY interesting and enlightening documentary about Miami's 1980s history with drugs and the violence it attracts

• Nate H

  
  A pretty capable documentary, though the editing is occasionally a little sloppy and the information seems more anecdotal than factual. Still, an entertaining way to get a history lesson, and some of the footage they obtained(/shot?) was impressive. This place was crazy, apparently.

• MJS M

  
  Wow, sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. This is one of the most amazingly well put together and interesting documentaries I?ve seen in a long time. Many have called this the true story behind Scarface and Miami Vice, and that seems to fit. The narrative flow very well… More
  Wow, sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. This is one of the most amazingly well put together and interesting documentaries I?ve seen in a long time. Many have called this the true story behind Scarface and Miami Vice, and that seems to fit. The narrative flow very well and the whole thing is very fascinating. The documentary editing and photography is first rate, and the pacing is perfect. The film also manages to stay focused throughout on Miami and the effect the cocaine wars had on it. A lesser film would have gotten distractd by other issues like Pablo Escobar, but this film doesn?t. The drug traffickers are never glamorized and the film isn?t just an examination of criminals either the film shows how the drug trade affected Miami?s economy and lead to societal decay.

• ken j

  
  a really great documentary showing the cocaine trade of the late 80's in miami florida from the real people that lived it the smugglers and dealers from the highs to the lows such as prison and death this is the best inside look of that lifestyle

• Wu C

  
  Very good doc on the Miami drug wars of the 70s-80s.

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