Cocaine Cowboys

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Billy Corben explored the limits of consensual sex in his 2001 feature Raw Deal; here he wallows—cinematically, that is—in seemingly endless quantities of dope, money, and corpses while recounting the sordid history of drug trafficking in Miami. The film is divided into three distinct sections examining: the basics of cocaine importation and distribution, detrimental societal effects of a city awash in illegal cash, and runaway violence that accompanies the inevitable drug wars (a procession of flamboyant dealers and paid assassins wax nostalgic about the drug trade, while police detectives and crime reporters supply the social commentary). The “stars” include major cocaine dealer Jon Roberts and expert transporter Mickey Munday, whose reminiscences bridge the period during which a once-sleepy retirement town was transformed into a glitzy playground for fast-living Eurotrash. Both the new interviews and the archival footage are presented with the accelerated pace of a music video, and it's no accident that Corben enhances his rat-a-tat montages with a hard-driving score composed by Jan Hammer, whose music played a large role in making Miami Vice one of the biggest TV series of the 1980s. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director-editor Billy Corben and co-producer David Cypkin, a half-hour of deleted scenes with optional commentary, a 15-minute “Hustlin' with the Godmother: The Charles Cosby Story” featurette with optional commentary, a brief sneak peek of HDNet Films' upcoming Mr. Untouchable, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a so-so documentary.] (E. Hulse)[DVD/Blu-ray Review—Apr. 8, 2014—Magnolia, 152 min., R, DVD: $26.98, Blu-ray: $29.98—Making its first appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, Cocaine Cowboys: Reloaded adds over an hour of new footage to the original 2006 film, and sports a great transfer and DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack on the Blu-ray version. Extras include deleted scenes (14 min.) and trailers. Bottom line: a solid update to the original.]