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Now playing in theaters is director Brad Furman’s fantastic new film, The Infiltrator. The movie is based on Robert Mazur’s autobiography The Infiltrator: My Secret Life Inside the Dirty Banks Behind Pablo Escobar’s Medellín Cartel and stars Bryan Cranston as Mazur, in a story about his efforts to infiltrate one of the biggest drug trafficking rigs of all time. If you don’t know the history here, it’s pretty incredible: Mazur spent five years undercover as a money launderer while he learned about the hierarchy of the drug underworld, and gained valuable information that would result in the indictments of 85 drug lords and their corrupt banks.
Unlike some films that try and glamorize certain parts of being undercover, what makes Furman’s take on the material so good is everything feels authentic, and you’re always on the edge of your seat. He also gets into the real relationships that form when you spend so much time undercover, and the lines begin the blur. If you’re looking for a smart adult thriller that has a great story and excellent performances, I really recommend checking this film out. The Infiltrator also stars John Leguizamo, Diane Kruger, Joseph Gilgun, Amy Ryan, Jason Isaacs and Benjamin Bratt.
At the recent Los Angeles press day for the movie, I landed an extended video interview with Brad Furman. As a big fan of The Lincoln Lawyer, it was great to sit down with him for a wide-ranging conversation. We talked about making the film, how his mom ended up writing the script, the importance of working with a great editor, his first cut, deleted scenes, how he looks for emotional projects and finding characters audiences will really care about, upcoming projects, and so much more. Check out what he had to say in the video above, and see the full list of what we talked about below.
Brad Furman:
- Talks about the process of getting the rights to the story, and how his mom ended up writing the script because she was simply the best out of many, many competitors.
- How Benjamin Bratt was a hero for him when he was a young assistant, and how he earmarked roles in The Infiltrator for actors and actresses he’s built relationships with over the years.
- How he looks for emotional projects, and finding characters audiences will really care about, which often doesn’t happen with big blockbusters.
- The length of the first cut, and the arduous process to get to the perfect cut, which he believes is the one he ended up with.
- The importance of working with a great editor.
- How things really work behind-the-scenes.
- Says not to expect an extended cut or too many deleted scenes, and explains why.
- The potential of a sequel to Lincoln Lawyer, and the movie’s legacy.
- His upcoming projects and his filming process.
- The aesthetics of the movie and the future of filmmaking.
