Customer Reviews

Cocaine Cowboys

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Cocaine Cowboys is an aptly-titled 2-hour documentary about the cocaine economy which built modern day Miami. The documentary covers the flashiest crimes and personalities in the cocaine explosion of the 1980's. Director Billy Corben tells the story of the city built on cocaine via interviews with smugglers, hit men, and dealers. This isn't a socio-political look at the drug trade, rather, it is a down-and-dirty Wild West story, complete with a Godmother who could give Scarface a run for his money.

It does drag in parts, and could have been told in a more streamlined fashion. Even at 2-hours on length, the DVD has another two dozen deleted scenes, for anyone who wants more time with the men on the street. Anyone who enjoyed Scarface or Blow needs to pick this one up, as does any armchair economic historian.

This movie is well crafted and edited in such a way that you feel like you have been transported back to the mid 70's. The soundtrack, the backdrops and the editing style strictly reflect the raw nature of the gripping documentary. My only drawback on this 2 hour epic is the dramatic change an hour into it from the American point of view to the Cuban/Columbian point of view. A little too hasty and tended to drag in parts. Other than that a must have for lovers of Scarface and Miami Vice. A lot of interesting facts, so many so that it's hard to believe that the two main narrators in this doco are still alive.

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A documentary that details the inception of the cocaine drug trade in America from the early 1970's when Columbian dealers dropped a few "suprise" kilos in bags of marijuana which was easily smuggled in via boats to the Reagan Era which spent millions "controlling" the drug trade in South Florida. "Cocaine Cowboys" presents an interesting perspective on the economy of the 1970's and what kept Miami afloat. Director Billy Corben tells the story of a Miami skyline built not of bricks and steel, but bricks of cocaine via interviews with some interesting smugglers, assasins, dealers, Ford models, and newscasters.

According to the film, in the 1970's marijuana was easily smuggled into South Florida. People openly off-loaded bales of marijuana from sail boats on public docks without interference. According to dealers in the film, in the 1970's cocaine was only used by medical professionals who could afford the several hundred dollars a gram price tag. Eventually the Columbian cartels found smugglers willing to import the drug and used Cuban distributors which made the drug readily available for everyone. The drug was first used by low-lifes-Castro refugees set free after he opened his prisons-and worked it's way up the ladder to become a party drug for all echelons of society. While the rest of the country struggled with 18 percent rates of inflation and a crashing economy, the Federal Reserve in Miami had so many deposits they had to stay open 24 hours a day. At one point the film says that federal investigators estimate one bank should have taken in deposits of around 2 million a year but was actually taking in 12 million. And that was just one bank. Hundreds opened their doors to launder money for the Columbian cartels. With the cocaine economy came Mercedes dealerships, a run-up in housing costs, luxury jewelery dealers. The Mercedes dealership in South Beach had a three month waiting list while the rest of the country was struggling to save for a Honda Civic and the gas that went in it.

It's never stated, but it sounds like the cocaine economy kept the whole country afloat for a while. The situation continued for about ten years until so much cocaine was being imported that the price dropped, violence skyrocketed, and the government finally decided to start busting people-not coincidentally at a time when the economy had recovered. Most of the people interviewed for this film were or are in jail. But many people in legitimate businesses that benefited from the free flowing cash from the cartels, used their new found wealth to build the Miami skyline. A doctor who is interviewed for the film said that at one point he was driving to work and counted more than 30 skyscrapers going up in the Miami skyline-all from the profits of drug money.

Some of this documentary will be familar. There have been enough films and sitcoms about cocaine in Miami that most of us know the tales. However, the positive economic impacts of cocaine were totally unknown to me. It's amazing and somewhat shocking. The vintage news footage and interviews make this documentary really interesting and keep the essential message from becoming a boring classroom lecture from the Federal Reserve chairman. All in all, a unique perspective and a pretty good yarn told by interesting raconteurs.

Fascinating documentaryfilm on the violent world that Miami was during the 1970's and 1980's. It's a must see.

This movie was just what I expected it to be, GREAT! I love watching movies about the cocaine era. The narrator of the movie is good and the people telling the stories are ex drug trafficers. I would definetly recommend this movie to anyone who likes true stories about drugs. My husband is Colombian and he loved this movie! LOL I wonder why! Great movie! Buy it!

Lets be honest; even at their best, documentaries can be a little dry. Its not the subject matter - its just that rarely is life truly as entertaining as art.

Not so with Cocaine Cowboys. Perhaps I'm baised, as I have a minor obsession with Miami (no idea why...its just always been. Whether its Miami Vice, CSI, Burn Notice, Dexter, etc, etc, etc, I just am ennamored with the whole city). Still, this documentary really delivers on its larger than life characters and most amazing to me, the way the 80's drug trade really shaped the culture and economic climate of today's Miami. Ironically, its the reason why much of the construction and industry is in place.

I just found this whole doc and subject fascinating, and if any aspect of Miami interests you, you will gravitate towards this amazing flim.

This is nothing short of an exhilirating roller coaster ride that defined Miami in the 70's and 80's. For people who know little about narcotics trafficking and the violence and sheer terror that occurs as a result, this video will shock even the most hardened of men. To know that these things were happening in the U.S. is eye-opening to say the least. As a federal law enforcement officer familiar with narcotics smuggling I highly recommend this documentary to everyone. It is one of the most in depth reports ever composed on the drug trade between the United States and Colombia and some of the players who were involved, such as the infamous "Godmother" Griselda Blanco. What sets this apart from other similiar videos is the first hand accounts of three men who were neck deep in the circles of drugs and violence. Their stories and accounts are spell-bindingly accurate and reek of the danger, violence and power that is narcotics smuggling. Five out five and very highly recommended!

As a Miami resident, I found the film to be intriguing and very informative. Having grown up in South Florida, the film was 100% accurate and the way it was presented kept you glued to the TV. I do hope that the great city of Miami never repeats the past.

"Cocaine Cowboys" is an excellent documentary; realistically portraying the growth of the drug trade during the 80's & 90's dominated by the Colombian Mafia. It also shows how "cocaine cash" made the city of Miami, and to some extent the State of Florida what it is today. It is reality `Scarface' exploring and explaining the details of how the drug trade exploded in Dade County and its migration to Southern California. The interviews with reporters, police officials, hit men, and drug dealers provide a very real picture of the madness, murder and money that are an inherent part of the illicit drug trade. There are some very graphic scenes, but that' was reality in Dade County during the era.

The DVD also includes: 24 deleted scenes; with or without commentary by the director and the co-producer; The Charles Cosby Story "Hustlin' with the Godmother" including her plan to kidnap JFK Jr.

Two straws up!! A must see, I highly recommend it!

I thought that this movie was extremely interesting. If you love Scarface then you will love this movie. There are so many similarities between this documentary and Scarface I could not believe it. This movie makes me want to go to Miami just to see everything that they talk about. I mean, Miami was made from drug money, how scandelous!