Product Details

• Actors: Ruben Amavizca, Steven Bauer, Elizabeth Peña, Miguel Ferrer, Benicio Del Toro
• Directors: Brian Gibson
• Writers: Ann Powell, Christopher Canaan, Elaine Shannon, Mel Frohman, Michael Mann
• Producers: Branko Lustig
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Live / Artisan
• VHS Release Date: April 22, 2003
• Run Time: 130 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00008K780
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #358,474 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Following the success of Traffic, this similar 1990 miniseries is being released in movie form. Based on the true story of the kidnapping and murder of a DEA agent named Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, Drug Wars: The Camarena Story depicts how Camarena's success burning down a huge field of marijuana in the Mexican desert led to his disappearance--which in turn set off an escalating series of confrontations between drug traffickers, the DEA, and the corrupt Mexican police. Despite low production values, a melodramatic script, and clumsy direction, Drug Wars does paint a complex picture of the political posturing and power struggles among agencies in the U.S., as well as the intricate web of corruption in Mexico, that have turned the drug war into a disastrous mess. Featuring Benicio Del Toro (as a Mexican drug lord), Steven Bauer, Craig T. Nelson, Mel Ferrer, Treat Williams, and Elizabeth Peña. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Where is the rest?, July 25, 2003

By 

LMJ (NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drug Wars - The Camarena Story (DVD)

When I heard that 'Drug Wars' was being released on DVD, I was pleased. It is, in fact, one of the best American TV miniseries' ever made. However, this disc is not 'Drug Wars', but is rather a crude approximation of it. They took the 280 minute feature and edited it into a 130 minute trailer. All narrative depth is gone, and character development is non-existent. Also, it seems to have been re-edited so randomly that the plot ceases to make sense at several points. The reissue of this film was pointless, because it is not 'Drug Wars.' Why even bother releasing the film if you are going to deliberately sabotage it?

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Better Left to Memory, May 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Drug Wars - The Camarena Story (DVD)

If you remember this mini-series from 90/91 and are seeking to own a copy, know that you'll be getting a watered down version of what originally aired. The DVD version comes in at 130 minutes - while I don't remember the exact running time of the tv series, it was probably in the neighborhood of 270 minutes given that it aired on three nights.

So as you can see, about 1/2 the footage was cut taking out significant character and plot development. The final product is an odd collection of edits not doing justice to either the true story or original version.

If you're looking for some of Benicio Del Toro's earlier work, this foots the bill though certainly not in a manner it could have with the unedited version.

All in all, a rather disappointing product from editing to special features (virtually none).

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very poor, January 5, 2004

By 

J. Canas "mcr_cr" (Costa Rica) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Drug Wars - The Camarena Story (DVD)

When I first saw this mini-series I was impressed by it's depth and it's message. A group of policemen fighting against all odds, corruption and politics. It could even be stereotyped as a plot of good against evil. That was the original series. What they have done on the DVD was to condense it so much that the message, the rhythm, all the meaning is if not lost, very hard to find. Critical scenes were cut and the plot doesn't make sense any more. If you have never seen the original, this might entertain you, but if you saw it, you will be disappointed.