Underplayed Gems

Drug Wars: The Camarena Story (1990)

Drug Wars: The Camarena Story poster
Directed by
Brian Gibson
Genre
drama, crime
Country
United States, Spain
Length
1 season, 3 episodes
Rated
14
Rating
6.5 of 10 from 10 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

This 1990 series follows DEA agent Enrique Camarena working undercover against a powerful Mexican drug cartel. It shows the investigation and the personal cost of his dangerous mission.

tensegrittybleakseriousslow-burnharrowingproceduralraw

What happens

Drug Wars: The Camarena Story is a 1990 American crime drama television miniseries based on the life of Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, an undercover DEA agent who was abducted and killed by the Guadalajara Cartel in 1985. The series is directed by Brian Gibson and stars Steven Bauer in the titular role and Benicio del Toro as cartel leader Rafael Caro Quintero, alongside Elizabeth Peña, Miguel Ferrer, Treat Williams and Craig T. Nelson. It is based on Elaine Shannon's 1988 non-fiction book Desperados. Filmmaker Michael Mann served as an executive producer, as well as co-writing one of the episodes. The series originally aired in three installments on NBC, from January 7–9, 1990. It was the second most watched NBC miniseries of the year following The Kennedys, and was generally well-received by critics. It won Outstanding Miniseries at the 42nd Primetime Emmy Awards, and Steven Bauer was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film. A follow-up television film, Drug Wars: The Cocaine Cartel, aired in 1992. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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