The Top 10 Best Cartel Movies

Cartel Movies Make for the Best Guilty Pleasures.

Kinda weird how the whole War on Drugs thing led to a rise in cartel movies from Hollywood. It’s almost like people aren’t a big fan of it much like they weren’t fans of The Eighteenth Amendment. Then again, what does a guy who carefully watches the narratives of the world and how they approach social issues know? Either way, whether you believe in recreational drug use or not, it doesn’t really matter to me. This week, what I care about are the cartel movies out there that are worth watching. Hey, I’m not going to argue that Cartels are good things, mostly because they execute everyone who crosses them, but I’m not going to pretend America didn’t embrace the Drug War and what it could mean for action movies. That being said, this week, Stars & Popcorn is looking at the movies that really took a hard look at cartels and the chaos the War on Drugs has managed to create.

10. Blow

America loves it some Johnny Depp, so it’s no surprise that his cult classic Blow is making this list of cartel movies. The film follows the rise of George Jung who ended up running a ton of coke for the Medellín Cartel after dealing with the “gateway drug,” Marijuana. George goes through the revolving door of the prison system and ends up getting in pretty connected in the drug trade after a while. It just goes to show that the justice system is pretty broken when it comes to rehabilitation because George keeps getting deeper and deeper into the game every time he gets sent to the slammer. Jung ends up making connections with some pretty heavy hitters, including the likes of  Pablo Escobar, Carlos Lehder and Manuel Noriega. The best part is that this film is actually based on a true story.

9. Clear and Present Danger

You can’t talk about cartels without talking about America’s War on Drugs and this Tom Clancy classic focuses on how there are plenty of shades of gray when it comes to it. Jack Ryan is perhaps one of the greatest movie spies of all time, so it’s no wonder that the government decided to sic him on the drug cartels which pose a, you guessed it, clear and present danger to the country. While most cartel movies portray cartels as the big bad guys, Clear and Present Danger shows that the war between them and the U.S. has no real good guys, especially in the way it portrays the negotiations that occur between the cartel and intelligence departments. It turns out the War on Drugs is a lot more complicated than anyone might think, especially since both sides are making a ton of money off it. That doesn’t stop Jack Ryan from trying to do the right thing.

8. American Made

The newest entry to grace this list of cartel movies features Tom Cruise as a drug runner for the cartels during the hay days of the 80s. In the film, Cruise plays a pilot with a dangerous combination of brains and questionable morals who takes advantage of the War on Drugs to make a pretty penny smuggling cocaine into the country from South America. In a twisted way, he’s pretty much the very definition of the American dream in that he sees an opportunity and manages to exploit it for cold hard cash. Of course, it doesn’t take long for the government to take notice of his business and get involved in order to make sure their interests are served. Then again, they also happen to disappear right before everything goes to hell, which just goes to show that the War on Drugs is a money making machine for both sides.

7. End of Watch

Most cartel movies take place south of the border, but End of Watch brings the action to the streets of LA. In it, two police officers, played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña, find themselves with a price on their head after thwarting a human trafficking ring (who knew cartels delt in more than just drugs). What comes next is a harrowing night as the two try desperately to survive the reprisal of the Sinaloa Cartel. This found-footage film doesn’t exactly take a look at the inner workings of the cartels or even really the drug trade in general. Instead, it focuses on the brutality in which they retaliate on anyone who crosses them. This was a personal favorite of mine from 2012 and one of my favorite David Ayer movies of all time. In an age when police are always in the news for the wrong reasons, End of Watch shows just how dangerous wearing a blue uniform can be.  

6. Scarface

If there was one movie that was going to show up on this list of cartel movies it was going to be Scarface. The film has earned a cult-like status among wanna be gangsters for its twisted idealization of what can only be called the modern American dream. In it, Al Pacino sports one of the worst Spanish accents ever caught on film as Cuban refugee turned cocaine kingpin Tony Montana. The film follows the rise of the man from struggling low-level gangster to major Miami cartel leader as he takes on the world in order to get what he deserves. Unfortunately, the take serves as a warning that those candles that burn the brightest tend to burn the fastest. Tony’s ego leads to his downfall as he refuses to show anyone the respect he feels entitled too. While I might not be a huge fan of the film, there’s no arguing that it’s easily the most popular of the cartel movies on this list.