The Infiltrator

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Brad Furman/Starring: Bryan Cranston, John Leguizamo, Diane Kruger, Juliet Aubrey, Amy Ryan, Olympia Dukakis and Benjamin Bratt

Brad Furman's The Infiltrator seems like something we might have seen back in the 90s' when films about federal agents bringing down South American drug lords were all the rage. If Furman's film feels like an anachronism in that respect, it also makes us overlook that shortcoming by being a taut thriller with excellent performances. It's in very limited release, which is a shame because unlike other films on the same subject, it makes a statement about the banking institutions and shady financiers who enabled kingpins like Pablo Escobar to flourish. I may have neglected to mention the film is based on a true story.

Set in 1980s' Miami, Bryan Cranston plays Customs official Robert Mazur, who devises a plan to cripple Escobar's operations by focusing solely on the money transactions involved in Escobar's business rather than the cocaine traffic between South America and America. Taking on a dangerous case means selecting a suitable partner for undercover operations, which brings Mazur and a colleague named Emir Abreu (an excellent John Leguizamo) together. It also means endangering his happy, stable home life and the lives of his wife Evelyn (Juliet Aubrey) and two children.

The early scenes with Mazur and Abreu are amusing for the humorous banter. One such moment takes place in a cemetery, where the two men select names from tombstones for their undercover aliases. Selecting the name Robert Musella, Mazur and Abreu begin work.

With Abreu's street connections, Mazur is able to make contact with Escobar's low level, Miami-based father and son team Gonzalo Mora senior and junior. Adopting the persona of a wealthy business man with a successful aviation business, Mazur makes a business proposal to the Moras, which entails washing vast sums of money generated by Escobar's cocaine trafficking. Wary of the offer, the Moras suggest Mazur first handle a small sum to prove his competence.

Required to join the Moras in after vice, Mazur finds himself in a stripper bar. When Mora junior buys him a sexy stripper to enjoy, Mazur balks, loathe to cheat on his wife. Puzzled, Mora asks him why he doesn't partake. Mazur tells Mora he is engaged to be married and doesn't care to jeopardize his relationship. Mazur manages to narrowly extricate himself from the sticky situation, though the mention of a fiancee adds a wrinkle to his Robert Musella charade.

Annoyed that the mention of a fiancee necessitates actually finding a female agent willing to join the operation, Mazur's no-nonsense boss, Bonni Tischler (Amy Ryan) introduces a young, beautiful woman named Kathy Ertz (Diane Kruger) as his bride to be. Abreu's reaction to seeing Ertz enter the room is priceless. After Abreu quizzes Mazur and Ertz about marital details to keep the agent's stories mutually consistent, the investigation continues.

Fitted with a lavish home and the trappings of luxurious lifestyle, Mazur and Ertz go to work following the trail of money laundering. Along the way, they meet bankers and money men from several nations; all willing to accommodate Mazur and his money laundering schemes. Mazur and Ertz also come into contact with another of Escobar's key personnel; Javier Ospina (Yul Vazquez); a sexually carnivorous dandy who makes a pass at Mazur, only to be aggressively rebuffed.

Seeking higher-ups in the Escobar organization, Mazur pursues Escobar's top money man Roberto Alcaino (Benjamin Bratt). Mazur undergoes a harrowing ordeal, which includes watching a man get shot by Escobar's men, to gain access to Alcaino. Upon making Alcaino's acquaintance, Ertz proves herself to be a convincing fiancee when she charms both Alcaino and his wife Gloria (Elena Anaya). Growing ever closer to the Alcainos; the deception begins to take on a life of its own as Ertz and Mazur begin socializing with the couple and forming a friendship. To make matters worse, Mazur and Ertz's faux-marriage becomes a little confusing as the stresses of the operation bring them closer together.

Mazur's undercover work begins take its toll on his marriage and family life as his wife suspects an affair. Evelyn is subjected to a ignominious experience when she and her husband step out for their anniversary dinner, only to run into Mora Sr. at the restaurant. In danger of blowing his cover, Mazur pretends his wife is actually his secretary and the dinner her birthday celebration. When the anniversary cake is delivered to the table, Mazur subjects the waiter to a humiliating divo exhibition that leaves Mora grinning and his wife silently aghast. His wife's dismayed reaction on the ride home is one of the more memorable moments in the film.

Everything comes to a head during Mazur and Ertz's faux wedding; where several of Escobar's associates, including Alcaino and his wife, as well as international bankers and money men, are lured into a bust. For Mazur and Ertz, watching the mass arrest go down is only a partially satisfying. The arrest leaves the Alcainos feeling betrayed while Mazur and Ertz can't help feeling treacherous.

Though the film is based on fact, elements reminded me of Donnie Brasco, including the scene where Mazur tees off on the waiter to deflect suspicion and the final scene, where the hero betrays his nemesis. But the film manages to succeed on its own terms.

I can't say enough about the exceptional performances. Cranston is especially good at capturing Mazur's conflicted feelings toward his job and his wife and the inherent fear that comes with risking his life. Bratt makes an intimidating underworld figure charming and worthy of the audience's sympathy. Leguizamo may not have Cranston's screentime but he is every bit as good while Kruger more than holds her own against the leading man.

Furman does well managing tension and drama and more than makes up for his earlier works; Lincoln Lawyer and Runner, Runner

Furman's film is unfortunate enough to open the same week as Ghostbusters so it will wander about the few theaters in which it is currently playing until it is assigned oblivion. For those who care to see it, fear not; nothing truly fades if streaming has a say.

American Ultra

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Nima Nourizadeh/Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Connie Britton, Topher Grace, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman and Walton Goggins

American Ultra is a movie that adopts a personality that is all wrong for its premise then tries to sell that shortcoming as a strength. Said premise; a stoner convenience store clerk who realizes he was actually once a highly-trained CIA operative could have been quite funny if Director Nima Nourizadeh and writer Max Landis (yes, son of director John Landis) had run wild with the comedic aspects of the story rather than veering into a serious, hyper-violent, narrative cul-de-sac. I was looking for the Jeff Lebowski-as-government-contract-killer character the trailer promised but got another Jason Bourne instead. What has become a stock character in CIA agent movies; I-guess-I-forgot-I'm-a-CIA-trained-lethal-field-operative; is ripe for comic plunder. Unfortunately Nourizadeh's film loses its way early on; settling for violence and a self-serious story rather than following a more humorous course. The story did occasionally threaten to be loopy but again, earnestness won out.

Jesse Eisenberg plays Mike Howell, a long-haired slacker who spends his days smoking weed and maintaining the sorriest convenience store you ever seen in a sorrier-looking town in West Virginia. When not manning the counter in the store, Mike co-habits with his girlfriend Phoebe Larson (the lovely Kristen Stewart); a she-slacker who works in a bail bonds office. Their shabby existence is redeemed not only by their mutual love and affection but Mike's cartooning, which he works on at all hours of the day; at work and at home. Drawings and storyboards of his astronaut gorilla character decorate the walls of their bedroom and in one scene, the two lay in bed while Mike tells Phoebe about his character's latest development.

A trip to Hawaii, where Mike was to present Phoebe with an engagement ring, is aborted when his gripping phobia of flying leaves him self-imprisoned inside a bathroom stall. Disappointed, Phoebe manages to forgive him though not without a little resentment.

One day, while behind the counter, Mike sees a woman (Connie Britton) in a trench-coat and sunglasses meandering about the aisles. She approaches the counter and utters what sounds like spy patter, which Mike's stoner mind fails to understand and grasp. The scene should be more amusing than it plays but it isn't bad.

Not knowing what the woman is on about, she leaves the store. Later, Mike sees two men messing with his car in the parking lot. When he approaches them and asks them to stop, they attack him, but not before Mike inexplicably unleashes a violent defense; utilizing impressive martial arts skills. He stabs one in the neck with a spoon, then dispatches the other. Dumbfounded by what he's done, he calls Phoebe for help. She arrives shortly thereafter but both are arrested when the police show up.

We learned in an earlier scene that the woman in the trench-coat; Victoria Lasseter, is a top-ranked CIA agent and Mike is a former operative who was trained years before in a program called Wise-Men. The program entailed giving repeat criminals opportunities to be trained as field operatives, of which Mike was a participant. We also learn his memory of his service was wiped clean while he was placed in an area of the country he might do little harm. It comes to light that Mike is Victoria's project but she discovers he is slated for liquidation by an agent who usurped her named Adrian Yates (Topher Grace, as a jerk he is peerless at playing). Unable to deter Adrian from pursuing Mike's life, she shows up at the convenience store to warn him. Hell-bent on killing Mike, Adrian mobilizes a team of assassins.

After the assassins arrive at the county jail where Mike and Phoebe are being held in a cell, they set about killing police officers. Mike and Phoebe manage to escape and in time they discover the plot against him and his past as an operative.

Again, humor should be liberally sprinkled about the story but oddly enough, this doesn't happen. Gruesome violence abounds; Mike manages to fend off assassins with all manner of creative lethality and with all manner of weapons, including a shovel and a frying pan.

As Victoria defies Adrian and the agency by aiding Mike, Phoebe's former involvement as a CIA operative comes to light. The revelation; an absurd twist that should be plumbed for all its comedic potential, is played straight. The news causes a rift between she and Mike. When Mike proves to be highly capable of resisting the assassins, Adrian captures Phoebe, thereby removing his partner.

Because the filmmaker's are unaware that the movie is and should be a comedy, the movie rushes headlong toward a conventional showdown that isn't played for laughs or a wink.

Though multiplexes hardly need another movie with covert intelligence agents running about (Mission Impossible and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. are both in theaters right now), the screens suddenly have space for one more. Sometimes the actors are unaware they are in a movie that is essentially a comedy, in spite of itself. Someone forgot to tell Kristen Stewart not to take the material too seriously; her explosive performance seems wildly at odds with the premise. Jesse Eisenberg plays his character with some sense of silliness but not enough. The same can be said for Connie Britton, Topher Grace and Bill Pullman. John Leguizamo is the only actor in the film who interpreted his character with a light spirit.

I wouldn't say American Ultra is tiresome but its like being in the company of someone who doesn't have a sense of humor and won't go along with a gag. What is particularly frustrating about it is its stubborn refusal to be funny when it should. It hardly works as an action thriller so where does that leave us as an audience? Twelve bucks poorer and 95 minutes older, I suppose. Let my impression of the movie spare you both. Can't you feel yourself a slightly bit richer and more youthful already?

John Wick

**Spoiler Alert**

Director(s): David Leitch and Chad Stahelski/Starring: Keanu Reeves, Willem Dafoe, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen and Adrianne Pelicki

I think I've lost count but I've seen six middle-age (or post-middle age) Hollywood actors this year--including Keanu Reeves--take on the aging bad-ass action hero role, which has become all the rage in movies now. In 2014, Pierce Brosnan, Kevin Costner and Denzel Washington were welcomed into Liam Neeson's archetypal, more-mature action-hero society and now Keanu Reeves enters the fold with his latest film John Wick. I guess we should expect more of these films in the near future. Neeson's Taken 3 is due out shortly and who knows; we may see Susan Sarandon join the ranks before the year is spent.

I can't think of one film the aforementioned actors have made in this new genre that has been any good. Some of had their moments. 3 Days to Kill, with Kevin Costner, at least brought a little tongue-in-cheek lightness to the genre while The Equalizer featured one inspired scene where Denzel Washington offs some Russian bad dudes in an office. But for the most part, the movies are highly forgettable and utterly disposable, though all or most of the actors will no doubt reprise their characters in sequels.

So what does Keanu Reeves bring to the party? His youth, for one, and like the other actors, a physical appeal to attract the female demographic. He has his earned his own action hero bona fides with Speed so it isn't preposterous that his membership be validated for the Academy of Over-50 Action Stars.

What does the movie itself bring? After 100 minutes of acrobatic fighting and shoot-outs by the score, I can honestly say--not much. In fact, I found my daydreaming and disinterest almost offensive, given the violence, blood and carnage onscreen.

Keanu Reeves plays the title character; a former hit-man for a Russian mobster though his former occupation isn't revealed until the 20 minute mark or so.
Wick has just lost his beloved wife to an undisclosed illness. In the days following the tragedy, a small cage is delivered to his home and inside is a small dog with a note from his wife. The dog is supposed to be something to salve his bereaved condition and provide companionship but the fact that the canine is from his wife adds a sentimental dimension to the gift.

Wick's other love is his '69 Mustang; a beautiful muscle car that attracts the attention of a young dirt-bag at a gas station. While Wick gasses up his car, the punk admires the Mustang and then forcefully inquires about it's sale price. After Wick rejects the offer to sell, the man becomes aggressive, uttering an insult in Russian. Wick counters with some Russian of his own, which surprises the young creep.

Later that evening, while the dog rests on Wick's chest as the two slumber, his home is broken into and sometime later, Wick is assaulted and beaten. The young man from the gas station is among the three assailants who demand the key to the car. Wick refuses, which not only earns him a severe beating, but his dog is killed with a savage kick.

The young man takes the Mustang to a chop shop run by a man named Aureilo (John Leguizamo), who recognizes the car and will have nothing to do with it. We then learn that the car thief (and dog murderer) is Iosef Tarasov; the son of a Russian mobster.

Shortly thereafter, Iosef visits his father Viggo (the Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist, playing a convincing Russian), who informs his son that the car he has just stolen and the dog he's killed belonged to John Wick, his former hit-man. When Viggo explains to his son just how dangerous Wick is, the son asks him if he is the boogeyman to which his father replies, "Wick is the man you hire to kill the boogeyman." While Viggo discourses on his former associate, scenes of Wick taking a sledgehammer to a slab of concrete in his garage underscore the mobster's words. We can mostly guess what Wick is hiding beneath the concrete rubble: an impressive array of weapons and a stash of gold coins.

Rather than persuading his son to make amends, Viggo hires an army of thugs to attack Wick at his home, which results in a bloodbath. The hand to hand fighting and the shootings are so acrobatic and stylized as to be cartoonish, which is hardly a shortcoming in this kind of movie.

When Viggo learns Wick has dispatched his thugs, he hires a former friend and associate of Wick's named Marcus (Willem Dafoe), to kill his nemesis. Marcus accepts the contract.

The film does tries its hand at humor. A hotel with the stately appellation of The Continental is actually a haven for a community of assassins; many who are friendly to Wick. The desk clerk is comically accommodating to the killers; allowing all manner of violence and murder to transpire under the hotel's roof. This might have worked well in a film that took itself less seriously

Wick is captured later, after some head-scratching, reckless behavior that is highly uncharacteristic of someone so methodical and circumspect. While tied to a chair awaiting his grisly fate, he explains to Viggo why the dog means so much to him, which of course is unpersuasive. Just as Wick is to be killed, Marcus comes to his rescue, thereby breaking his contract with Viggo and earning his enmity in the process.

The rest of the film is Wick pursuing his prey and leaving bodies in his wake. Where this ends doesn't require an advanced degree in mathematics from MIT to extrapolate.

What hobbles John Wick and makes it a drag are action scenes that are technically accomplished but don't have any heat or dazzle. They are only mechanically impressive.

One of my favorite action sequences this year took place in X-Men: Days of Future Past when the character Quicksilver raced around a room at hyper-speed, deflecting bullets and projectiles while everyone else moved glacially as the song "Time in a Bottle" played on the soundtrack. It was a beautifully choreographed scene with humor and verve. That's what a movie like John Wick needs; action sequences with a fresh, haven't-seen-that-before approach.

I didn't care about Wick's quest other than wanting his dog's death avenged. I also wanted him to really want that glorious Mustang back, but that curiously never crossed his mind.

I wish Keanu Reeves had interpreted the role with less earnestness and more mischief. Many of these action movies, like John Wick, suffer from slogging self-seriousness. This film just wasn't any fun.

If aging film stars are to indulge in action film trifles, then they should remember that they aren't performing an Ibsen play but something most likely over-the-top and absurd, which calls for a little of the same from the story and cast. The makers of The Fast and Furious franchise understand this only all too well. That series is a joy to watch, with all its giddy offerings of hyperbolic nonsense.

Trying to make silly into serious begets more silliness. The creators behind John Wick might keep this in mind if they choose to foist this guy on audiences again.

Chef

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Jon Favreau Starring: Jon Favreau, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannevale, Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Vergara, Robert Downey Jr., Oliver Platt and Emjay Anthony

Directed and scripted by Jon Favreau, Chef is a likeable movie about a chef named Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) who loses his prestigious position in a successful L.A. restaurant after inadvertantly tweeting an angry response to a negative review, which goes viral. The fallout from the angry, crude, tweet leads to a confrontation with the restaurant owner Riva (Dustin Hoffman), who rebuffs Carl's attempt to rework the menu to show the critic Ramsey Michel (Oliver Platt) he is better than the staid fare that has remained virtually unchanged for years. Carl quits on the night the reviewer returns; leaving his loyal allies in the kitchen to take over. Still incensed over the critic's scathing review, Carl returns to the restaurant to confront Michel and in doing so, vents his rage in an explosive manner that also goes viral; reducing him to a hero/fool figure on the web.

If jeopardizing his reputation and career isn't enough, Carl has to deal with his diminished role as father in his son's life. His son (a charming Emjay Anthony) Percy contends with his parent's divorce as he longs to spend more time with his father, who always seems to have restaurant-related matters pending. Carl maintains a very friendly relationship with his ex-wife Inez (played by the ravishing Sofia Vergara), who is very supportive of Carl but recogizes his sometimes negligent approach to fatherhood. Though Carl and Inez are divorced, there remains a flicker of rapprochement in their relationship

Carl finds very few job offers in unemployment and his frayed relationship with his son doesn't help. Inspired by his ex-wife's repeated exhortations to buy a food truck, which she believes would help Carl establish his culinary freedom, Inez suggests he approach her ex-ex-husband Marvin (Robert Downey Jr.) in Florida for financial backing--an awkward proposition at best.

Looking to form a stronger bond with his son and secure financial backing for his new venture, Carl flies to Miami with Inez and Percy in tow. The trip is also an opportunity for Inez to return to her Cuban roots and also visit her father.

During a dinner with Inez's father over Cuban sandwiches, the idea to serve Cuban food from his truck is hatched. Following a strange meeting with Inez's other ex-husband Marvin, which stokes jealous fires in Carl, he comes away with the backing he needs and in doing so, buys a truck he and his son refurbish.

The scenes where the truck undergoes cosmetic and interior changes show the ever-emerging bond between Carl and Percy. Carl learns to be more patient with his son while also teaching him food preparation basics. Because Percy is on school-break, he is allowed to accompany his father on the return journey to L.A. in the food truck. Joining them is Martin (John Leguizamo), who served faithfully on Carl's staff in the restaurant. The three make for a fun, lively trio as they stop in various towns and cities en route to L.A. With Carl's fame/infamy in the cyberworld, and Percy's savvy social media skills, the truck and the crew attract crowds wherever they stop. Even a cop who asks them to move the truck recognizes Carl, which leads to a celebrity-like request for photos.

Of course the father/son relationship is mended and in the process, Carl is able to communicate his passion for food and how it touches people's lives after a scene where Percy carelessly burns a sandwich.

The film's direction and how we get there aren't revelations but Favreau's characters are magnetic; they make for excellent company. The story is pretty wispy; the crises seem to be milder than they appear and a happy ending is never in doubt. Still, one can never underestimate Favreau's charm. He is so likeable, it would be impossible not to sympathize with any character he plays. If Favreau played Joseph Stalin, we might reconsider the tyrant's historical reputation and think his crimes against humanity minor peccadilloes. I would have liked to have seen more of the incredible cast Favreau assembled but it's his movie though we are treated to the likes of Vergara and Leguizamo for generous chunks of screentime.

I would also have liked the film to be funnier but its laid-back approach to finding humor in situations does quite nicely too. Of course a movie that deals with food must consider anything edible as a character. Chef succeeds ably in that department. I would advise anyone to avoid eating until after a screening. I made the mistake watching the film on a full stomach and wasn't able to fully enjoy the mouth-watering food on display. Succulent meats, sandwiches dripping with melted cheeses, buttery breads, beignets from the world-famous Cafe du Monde in New Orleans and even a tantalizing grilled cheese sandwich Carl fashions for his son rouse the salivary gland.

Chef is a fun trifle; an enjoyable romp that melds two disparate genres we may not have seen onscreen before; a food film and road movie. The film is as substantial as mist but it satisifies--like something savory from a food-truck grill.