I accidentally came upon this film,Cocaine Cowboys, the other night while channel surfing between the Olympics events and realized I had never seen it before which is really strange, since I usually seek out movies that take place in Miami. I was "hooked" from the first scene as the movie showed a side of my hometown that was quite dark and dangerous, taking place in a period of time I had somehow forgotten about, but soon remembered, as this movie progressed.

Cocaine Cowboys is a documentary directed by Billy Corben and produced by Alfred Spellman, both local Miami based film makers who somehow were able to produce this movie focusing on the interviews of a few real life drug dealers and hit men who, in their own way, might be responsible with the way Miami looks and feels today, due the millions, maybe billions of dollars in drug money they soaked our economy with, the center of the rooting, tooting drug trade in the 1970's and 80's.

I can remember those days…the days of the lavish nightclubs on Miami Beach, when you couldn't go into a bathroom without seeing two pairs of shoes in each stall, the hotels that catered to coke parties and looked away from what was going on at the tables, (just hearsay on my end of course), the days of the infamous Dade-land shoot-out, the shopping center I've gone to for as long as I remember, since I live just about 6-7 minutes away. I remember the new-shows that spotlighted, almost on a daily basis, the latest drug bust, home invasions or drug dealers found dead, like scenes out of the Godfather. Perhaps, the movie Scarface would be more appropriate. The stories in the newspaper, where one day you would read that nearly every dollar bill spent in this city could be found with coke residue when examined ….yes, the wild and wooly cowboy days of the Cocaine underworld. Thankfully those days are over, but it is hinted that much of that drug money led to the resurgence of Miami Beach's popularity and was responsible for the building of many of the plush condominiums and high-rises we see today, that our Miami skyline might actually have its roots in that dirty money.

The stories told by these men are mind boggling. Jon Roberts, (had been a major drug dealer), seemed to enjoy relaying his huge role in the drug trade and how he distributed tons and tons of the drug. He also tells how he somehow fell into this business when Miami was inundated with boatloads of Marijuana and how he discovered cocaine was easier to bring into the country and far more popular….how he met and got connected with Columbia's Medellin cartel who would supply him with as much cocaine as he could distribute.

Another character interviewed in this story is Mickey Monday who talked about his part in these events since he was a pilot, and was responsible for transporting those drugs from Columbia. He described how he flew low over the water or brought his cargo in on boats, in every conceivable manner. How they used special high tech radios and frequencies to monitor the position of the Coast Guard boats as well as federal and local law enforcement. Always staying ahead of the law.

Also interviewed is Jorge "Rivi" Ayala, a convicted assassin…who just casually talked about killing. The interviews of these three men paint a picture of what was going behind the drug trade in Miami that is both fascinating and horrifying at the same time.

As much as I was mesmerized by these interviews, it was the film clips and the videos of true life events that made the events in this film quite real in a sobering way. The story of Miami Beach, back in the days I remember, when life was simple on the beach, the hotels along Ocean Drive filled with the elderly then, in contrast, what the city looked like during the heyday of the drug explosion in the 1970's and 80's. Before things went sour. Before the influx of all the Marielitos, all the Cuban criminals let out of their prisons by Castro who came here during the Mariel boat lifts. Many were really hardened criminals who would soon become competitors with the Columbians. Think Pacino in Scarface!

But before that happened, things went amazingly smoothly for Jon and Mickey since it seemed there was nothing or no-one who could stop them in this wide open arena for drug importing. They built homes on the water for their boats and had special runways to land their planes. Money was flowing like water. Jon stated he brought in over 2 billion dollars worth of Cocaine into Miami. The biggest problem was how to launder the money so special banks were opened and quite a lot of money greased the palms of law makers and bankers. It really was mind-boggling to hear them speak of their daring, ingenious ways of bringing in this drug. But then the competition started and it was a whole new ball game.

Jon also said that the TV show Miami Vice popularized the drug but the reality of the crimes was quite different then shown on television. On TV it was all glitzy and glamorous, very exciting when the drug busts were shown but it was much different and a lot easier in real life to import drugs into Miami.

There were also interviews with law enforcers and other drug mobsters relating the horrors of the drive by shootings and home invasions. Especially chilling were the interviews with Jorge "Rivi" Ayala, who described how he would kill nearly anyone he was ordered to kill… he also talked about a woman who was the Capo, the Godmother, so to speak, he did say he refused to kill some children on one occasion. He is now serving consecutive life prison terms.

It really was a crime infested time, the Columbian cocaine kingpins practically took over Miami with the help of the local dealers like Jon, they were responsible for billions of dollars of their merchandise hitting the streets and the money they earned flooded our banks and businesses, changing the economic structure of the city and, when the Marielitos came things changed drastically.

Did all this money really change our fair city? Was it responsible for the growth we see today? These are very important and viable questions that really can't be answered, though it was brought out that after the drug busts and drug lords were put behind bars, and the money stopped flowing, it indeed was strange how some banks closed, the high-end flashy bars and nightclubs closed their doors and construction on some waterfront condos ended before the completion of the buildings.

The producers of the film would like us to believe the notoriety of these crimes made famous in Miami Vice and Scarface brought a resurgence of popularity to Miami Beach when it became the modeling capitol of America. And now that popularity is overwhelming with the European influence and visitors we have down here… the celebrities who are flocking to Miami Beach and are now reopening the clubs, the restaurants and the hotels. Miami and its beaches had and still has a glamorous appeal and financially, many say, this can be linked back to that Cocaine Cowboy money which flowed like the waters in Biscayne Bay.

I also enjoyed watching some of the local politicians, the TV news reporters, one in particular, Al Sunshine…. boy did they look younger, and one of my favorite authors, Edna Buchanan, who followed and reported on this story as it all unfolded and the body count kept rising.

One more thing to remember when watching Cocaine Cowboys, this is a documentary film, a true story, one that may be a blight on America's history, about drugs, murder and smuggling, but it is told by those who lived it and it is quite remarkable how it all happened even though very disdainful and quite contemptible and, well, it is a tale told about what happened in my hometown…thank goodness, Miami of the past!

I also enjoyed the music by Jan Hammer, who wrote the theme song for Miami Vice. It just had that same Miami spice flavorful sound.

118 mins long

Main Cast:
Jon Roberts
Jorge "Rivi" Ayala
Sgt. Al Singleton
Mickey Monday
Dr. Joseph Davis
Al sunshine
Edna Buchanan

Director:
Billy Corben
Producers:
Billy Corben, Alfred Spellman

Rated R - Graphic Violence, Profanity, Drug Content, blood and gore



Recommended:
Yes

Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age