Cocaine Cowboys Review - SFGate.com

11/10/2006

"Cocaine Cowboys" has the attraction of a bad car wreck -- it's so horrible, yet you can't turn away. Do you really want to see a documentary about the Miami drug wars of the 1970s and '80s that basically makes heroes out of former traffickers and a former hit man? This is an ugly film, but with an undeniable allure.

This is the real "Miami Vice" -- and it even has a score (music, that is) by "Vice" composer Jan Hammer.

Director Billy Corben makes the case that Miami's reputation as a hip, cutting-edge urban playground and as one of the major cities of America is completely based on the drug trade -- which attracted movers and shakers, financed construction projects and led to a vibrant nightclub scene. Before cocaine, Miami was a sleepy retirement community.

That seems excessive, but Corben does provide some compelling evidence. He structures his film around the recollections of Jon Roberts, a trafficker who smuggled 10 tons of cocaine, worth more than $2 billion, for the Colombian Medellin cartel, with his pilot, Mickey Munday.

At first, it was all fun. The borders were not secure, there was no violence, cocaine was widely used by young jet-setters, and there were lavish parties. Roberts was a regular supplier for NFL players, including members of the Oakland Raiders.

Suddenly, there was a proliferation of banks -- many small mom-and-pop operations that existed to launder drug money. There was a building boom in downtown Miami. Four mayors were indicted for corruption.

All that money, of course, meant competition and turf wars. There was also an "invading army" -- Cuban undesirables cut loose by Castro in the famous "boatlift" of 1980. Soon, the city's murder rate more than tripled (621 in 1981), and the most powerful and violent drug warlord was a woman called La Madrina (the Godmother), Griselda Blanco.

Many of her ordered hits are described in detail (backed up by grisly photos and videotape) by her main hit man, Jorge "Rivi" Ayala, in a matter-of-fact manner, in a jailhouse interview

Yes, there are interviews with former law enforcement and judicial officials, but balance is basically thrown out the window. This is a documentary that glamorizes the drug trade. Have fun.

-- Advisory: Violent, bloody images and strong language.

-- G. Allen Johnson