The Infiltrator’sending sees Robert Mazur’s years of undercover work come into effect with a major bust, leading to questions aboutthe real-life history and the film’s thematic implications. Bryan Cranston leadsThe Infiltratorcast, playing the dual lives of Robert Mazur and his undercover criminal counterpart, Bob Musella. As Musella, he helps drug lords of the cartel with laundering their money, hoping to gain favor and infiltrate their ranks, bringing him closer to higher-ups like Pablo Escobar.
While Mazur’s work doesn’t directly reach Pablo Escobar,the staged wedding between him and Kathy Ertz (Dianne Kruger), along with years of undercover work, leads to numerous arrests. Mazur spends the majority of the film building connections with the cartel, and his efforts manage to take down Bank of Credit and Commerce International, the seventh-largest private bank in the world, which was vital to the drug lords' money laundering schemes.
Who Gets Arrested In The Infiltrator’s Wedding Drug Bust?
Several Characters From The Film Were Included In The 100+ Arrests
The Infiltrator’sclimax sees the wedding of Robert Mazur and Kathy Erzt’s criminal personas, rallying their cartel colleagues in one location for a series of arrests from Operation C-Chase. Bonni Tischler (Amy Ryan) leads the charge in arresting several of the criminals with whom audiences have become acquainted throughout the film. Most notably,this includes Roberto Alcaino (Benjamin Bratt) and Gloria Alcaino (Elena Anaya), the couple that Mazur and Erzt spend chummy time withthrough the movie’s events. Also arrested are Amjad Awan (Saïd Taghmaoui), Akbar Bilgrami (Art Malik), and Gonzalo Mora Jr. (Rubén Ochandiano).
Did Robert Mazur & Kathy Ertz Have An Affair In The Infiltrator?
Robert Mazur Remained True To His Wife
An important aspect ofThe Infiltratoris the difficulty Robert Mazur experiences in his family life during his time undercover in the cartel. Early in the film, he’s taken to a strip club while undercover but declines any sexual favors, claiming that he has a fiancée he’s loyal to. To make good on this lie,Kathy Ertz is instated to play the role of his fiancée, and she becomes an integral part of his operation, helping to sell him as an appealing business partner to cartel members like Roberto Alcaino.
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While there’s a scene inThe Infiltratorwhere Robert and Kathy hold each other in a tender embrace, and it almost seems like they’re about to kiss,it’s implied that they remain professional.Kathy later visits Robert’s wife and suggests to her that her husband has always been entirely faithful to her despite spending great lengths of time away on the mission. Robert and Kathy may consider the possibility for a brief moment, implying that they’ve delved deep into their double lives, but they managed to remain grounded in reality and not be consumed by their pretend relationship.
Did Operation C-Chase Help Take Down Pablo Escobar?
Robert Mazur Claims That It Was Just A “Bump On The Highway” For Escobar
The film’s events take place during the 1980s, while the infamous drug lord lived until 1993.
Operation C-Chase was responsible for the arrests of over 100 drug traffickers and money launderers, including several that were directly involved with Pablo Escobar. While this was undoubtedly an astounding victory for law enforcement, especially given the take-down of BCCI,it wasn’t the most impactful in dealing with Pablo Escobar. The film’s events take place during the 1980s, while the infamous drug lord lived until 1993. On the matter, Robert Mazur toldTampa Bay Timesthe following:
“Someone looking at this film might think the operation really did put a big, major dent in Pablo Escobar,” he said. “From my perspective, we were something like a bump on the highway.”
Is The Infiltrator Accurate To The True Story?
The Infiltrator Is Relatively Accurate To Robert Mazur’s Memoir
As far asThe Infiltrator’strue story, it’s hard to tell what moments are exactly accurate. The film is based on Robert Mazur’s personal memoir of the same name, so it’s subject to his biases and memory of the story. With that being said, it’s treated as a fairly consistent recount of the events, and the film only has a few original scenes that weren’t from his writing. For dramatization purposes,The Infiltratormovie is a bit more punchy and straight-to-the-point, focusing only on its central three undercover characters. In real life, the operation involved 250+ law enforcement officers.
Some key moments from the film that were added to the script include the “audition” scene, where Robert Mazur goes through a voodoo ritual where a man is shot in the head. As far as the text states,Robert Mazur never shoved a waiter’s head into a cake, and he also never received a bloody coffin as a threat in the mail. Both of those scenes are entirely fabricated. Importantly, the climactic wedding never happened in life, though it was planned. Rather than making the arrests at the morning ceremony like in the film, they happened the night before.
What The Real Robert Mazur Has Said About The Infiltrator
Robert Mazur Has Praised The Project For Its Depictions
Given that Robert Mazur was directly involved in the production ofThe Infiltrator, with the film’s script being based on his memoir, he’s had rather positive feedback for the project. Mazur took several interviews during press for the movie in 2016, where reporters inquired about the real-life events that transpired and how they were depicted in the film. Importantly, due to threats from the cartel over the years, Mazur keeps his likeness off the internet, so he stated that his involvement in the film wasn’t for fame but instead encouraged its production to raise discussion about the film’s contents.
An important statement he made toMen’s Journalin 2017 was that he never doubted his loyalties to law enforcement. While the film shows him demonstrating a brief moment of guilt in the climax, the real Robert Mazur stated, “I never forgot who I was and why I was there.” The film toys with the idea of the risks of living a double life, but Mazur claims he was always focused on his mission.
The Real Meaning Of The Infiltrator’s Ending Explained
The Infiltrator Is Meant To Offer A Realistic Depiction Of The Dangers Of Undercover Work
Like many stories about going undercover in the criminal underworld,The Infiltratoris a tale of paranoia but also temptation. Robert Mazur is forced to spend years of his life in a high-risk situation where he could slip up and be killed at any moment. But he also spends this time growing accustomed to a particular way of life that appeals to the darkest temptations of humankind, which can be hard to break away from. In the end, the audience, like Mazur, might feel some momentary guilt for the betrayal involved in an undercover case.
According to the real-life Robert Mazur in an interview withTampa Bay Times, the figure wanted “a forum for his self-described “crusade” against money laundering practices enabling all sorts of illegal operations worldwide.” The purpose ofThe Infiltratorwas to tell a story that, while dramatized, is rooted in fact and examines the nuanced involvement of money laundering, raising awareness and sparking conversation surrounding the topic.
Sources:Tampa Bay Times,Men’s Journal
The Infiltrator
The Infiltrator, directed by Brad Furman, chronicles the efforts of a U.S. Customs official who goes undercover to expose a complex money laundering operation tied to the infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar. Set in the 1980s, the film delves into the intricate world of crime and corruption.
