Cartel Land
Movie · Documentary · Independent

In this Sundance award-winning film, director Matthew Heineman and Executive Producer Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”, “Zero Dark Thirty”) gain unprecedented, on-the-ground access to the riveting stories of two modern-day vigilante groups and their shared enemy—the murderous Mexican drug cartels. In the Mexican state of Michoacán, Dr. Jose Mireles, a small-town physician known as "El Doctor," leads the Autodefensas, a citizen uprising against the violent Knights Templar drug cartel. Meanwhile, in Arizona's Altar Valley--a narrow, 52-mile-long desert corridor known as Cocaine Alley--Tim "Nailer" Foley, an American veteran, heads a small paramilitary group called Arizona Border Recon, whose goal is to stop Mexico’s drug wars from seeping across our border. Heineman embeds himself in the heart of darkness as Nailer, El Doctor, and the cartel each vie to bring their own brand of justice to a society where institutions have failed. The film is a chilling, visceral meditation on the breakdown of order and the blurry line between good and evil.

2015 · 1h 40m
  • 90%
Starring Dr. Jose Mireles, Tim "Nailer" Foley, Dr. Jose Mireles
Director Matthew Heineman

Trailers

  • Cartel Land
    Documentary
  • Cartel Land
    Documentary

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Cast & Crew

  • D‌J
    Dr. Jose Mireles
    Actor
  • T‌"
    Tim "Nailer" Foley
    Actor
  • D‌J
    Dr. Jose Mireles
    Self
  • T‌"
    Tim "Nailer" Foley
    Self
  • Matthew Heineman
    Director
  • Kathryn Bigelow
    Producer
  • D‌M
    David McKillop
    Producer
  • R‌D
    Robert DeBitetto
    Producer
  • Molly Thompson
    Producer
  • Tom Yellin
    Producer
  • Matthew Heineman
    Producer

About

Cartel Land

Documentary

In this Sundance award-winning film, director Matthew Heineman and Executive Producer Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”, “Zero Dark Thirty”) gain unprecedented, on-the-ground access to the riveting stories of two modern-day vigilante groups and their shared enemy—the murderous Mexican drug cartels. In the Mexican state of Michoacán, Dr. Jose Mireles, a small-town physician known as "El Doctor," leads the Autodefensas, a citizen uprising against the violent Knights Templar drug cartel. Meanwhile, in Arizona's Altar Valley--a narrow, 52-mile-long desert corridor known as Cocaine Alley--Tim "Nailer" Foley, an American veteran, heads a small paramilitary group called Arizona Border Recon, whose goal is to stop Mexico’s drug wars from seeping across our border. Heineman embeds himself in the heart of darkness as Nailer, El Doctor, and the cartel each vie to bring their own brand of justice to a society where institutions have failed. The film is a chilling, visceral meditation on the breakdown of order and the blurry line between good and evil.

90%

TOMATOMETER
Average 7.6
Reviews 98
Fresh 88
Rotten 10

Information

Studio
A & E Television Networks, LLC (Cartel Land)
Released
2015
Run Time
1 hr 40 min
Rated
R for violent disturbing images, language, drug content and brief sexual material.
Regions of Origin
United States, Mexico
© 2015 A&E TELEVISION NETWORKS, LLC.

Languages

Original Audio
English, Spanish (Mexico)
Audio

English (United States) (⁨Dolby 5.1⁩, AAC)

Subtitles

English (CC), Spanish

Accessibility

Closed captions (CC) refer to subtitles in the available language with the addition of relevant non-dialogue information.
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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Eswatini
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger (English)
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  • Zimbabwe

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