A riveting documentary focused on cartel violence in Mexico and along the U.S. border. In the Mexican state of Michoacán, the camera is trained on a vigilante group devoted to undermining the Knights Templar Cartel, resulting in a type of town-by-town civil war under the leadership of Dr. José Manuel Mireles, a charismatic figure with silver hair, a flair for fist-in-the-air populism, and an unbecoming tendency toward infidelity. These scenes are nothing short of momentous war reportage—the audience is plunged into the center of shootouts and foot and car pursuits—and the arc of the resistance turns out to be deeply cinematic as its noble purpose sours amid questionable tactics, outsize egos, government infringement, and considerable bloodshed. Rather unfortunately, the film also cuts now and then to the U.S. The American subject (an itinerant and salty man named Tim Foley and his controversial group, the Arizona Border Recon) is just as complex and fascinating, but these scenes feel shoehorned in and comparatively insubstantial. Perhaps courageous director Matthew Heineman should have saved this footage for a complementary second documentary, à la Restrepo and Korengal or The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence.

B+

I need to think on this longer. The Mexico stuff was very interesting, especially the development, even though some scenes seemed repetitive.

But I am really not sure what to think of the Arizona Border Recon part. Because even after having him explain his complex position and his work, every pore in the guy's body still oozes "redneck racist".

The arc of the Mexican side of the story is so tragic, though...