The Last Narc

If you have ever heard about the history of the "War on Drugs", then you are likely aware of events surrounding the kidnapping, torture and murder of DEA special agent Enrique Camarena by the Guadalajara cartel, as well as the subsequent large-scale US response. If you have more insight, you might already know that, prior to kidnapping and attacks on innocent American tourists, who were considered by the paranoid leaders of the cartel to be undercover agents, Camarena, despite his superiors, ruined many businesses worth billions when he discovered the biggest marijuana plantation at that time. The cartel was shaken by internal struggles for power and was establishing an “effective rule of corruption, fear and inflow of money". And if, however, you've read about this period (Winslow would be the first choice) or watched anything about it (the first line of the Mexican spin-off Narcos, 2015-2017), then you will have no illusions and you are well aware that it is not at all only black and white. It is not only bad cartel vs. good America, that both sides made mistakes and did nasty things, that even the highest political circles were involved. On both sides, there were various interest groups and even higher interests than drugs, and not only against each other... In that respect, this series brings nothing new, perhaps only well-known information with insights and more detailed information from both sides. At any rate, its contribution is not based on saying that "The CIA is blameless; in fact quite the opposite is true. Thee top Mexican government circles took tithes from the cartel, and the origin of some of the money is also of interest." Its main contribution is that it managed to get both sides of the barricade in front of the cameras. And how frankly they spoke. The filmmaker leaves it up to you whether some of them follow their own interests and does not omit anything that would cast a bad light on them, etc. Nevertheless, it is unusually open and unusually personal. That is the greatest strength and contribution of this documentary mini-series; not in setting mirrors in front of the Americans, not in showing the involvement of top Mexican government circles in the drug business, not in the money and cruelty that rule the cartel, not in the funding and training of the Contras, but in the impacts on particular people and in the emotions of the participants and their families/survivors. I expected a lot from it, but not that a "well-known story" would be so emotional and touching. (2020.11.03)