76
Metascore
27 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Village VoiceAmy NicholsonVillage VoiceAmy NicholsonCartel Land is interested in how idealism becomes corrupt.
- 91The PlaylistKatie WalshThe PlaylistKatie WalshHeineman, in placing himself in such danger, has managed to create a remarkable and distinctive film that takes on a difficult issue that cannot be so conveniently remedied or ignored.
- 90The Hollywood ReporterDuane ByrgeThe Hollywood ReporterDuane ByrgeFilmmaker Heineman vaults us into a true heart of darkness.
- 90The DissolveScott TobiasThe DissolveScott TobiasThough Cartel Land isn’t interested in making fact-filled statements about the drug war, Heineman’s ingenious conceit gets at the difficulty ordinary people have in doing something about it.
- Matthew Heineman does break the mold in Cartel Land and gets inside citizens movements – better known as vigilantes – which overturn the cartels’ monopoly on violence, for a while.
- 75The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloWhatever one’s moral qualms regarding the Autodefensas—and Heineman makes a point of showing that Mireles, who’s married, has a penchant for using his celebrity to seduce much younger women—there’s no denying the engrossing nature of the footage shown here, or that the people involved are fighting for their own lives.
- 63Slant MagazineChristopher GraySlant MagazineChristopher GrayA stunning work of war reportage nestled within a creaky study of ideological purity.
- 63New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithLooking at the Mexican drug wars from both sides of the border, Cartel Land is punchy and vital but not particularly informative.
- 60The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisMr. Heineman has said that he wanted Cartel Land to feel like a narrative film as much as possible, and to an extent it does. What’s missing is a directorial point of view, including about vigilante groups, the so-called war on drugs, and Mexican and American policies and politics.