Cartel Land (2015) conquered Sundance for best documentary and director. Contrasting the peoples 'Autodefensas' militia in their Mexico Michoacán region, battle the Knights Templar drug cartel versus the upset white Arizona Border Recon 'vigilantes' patrolling the Arizona border.
Ignore the handful of reviews by viewers of this documentary or the dozens by professional film critiquers. This documentary is of unbiased quality, it shows the naked - and rather bipolar - actuality.
The present topicality is what seems to be a struggle between a distrusted, corrupt and bought Mexican government trying to reign in the power of the Mexican self-defense militias and arresting their leaders for possessing unregistered weaponries.
'When we captured criminals we turned them over to the federal authorities. But the authorities set them free with their guns and armor. And they started shooting and massacring us 24 hours later.' But then, needing funding for their upkeep, the now regulated 'Autodefensas' with a new leader started protecting their own meth cookers 'we can't help it because inevitably everyone here has gone corrupted'.
So a new cycle of drugs manufacture and protection has started in the Michoacán region, minus the rape, kidnappings and murder. A handful of volunteers joined the Arizona Border Recon.
Ignore the handful of reviews by viewers of this documentary or the dozens by professional film critiquers. This documentary is of unbiased quality, it shows the naked - and rather bipolar - actuality.
The present topicality is what seems to be a struggle between a distrusted, corrupt and bought Mexican government trying to reign in the power of the Mexican self-defense militias and arresting their leaders for possessing unregistered weaponries.
'When we captured criminals we turned them over to the federal authorities. But the authorities set them free with their guns and armor. And they started shooting and massacring us 24 hours later.' But then, needing funding for their upkeep, the now regulated 'Autodefensas' with a new leader started protecting their own meth cookers 'we can't help it because inevitably everyone here has gone corrupted'.
So a new cycle of drugs manufacture and protection has started in the Michoacán region, minus the rape, kidnappings and murder. A handful of volunteers joined the Arizona Border Recon.