Bryan Cranston is cooking again. No, it is not that crystal blue persuasion but a scheme to bring down Pablo Escobar, the Walter White of cocaine. Although on the opposing side of the drug trade, Cranston attacks this covert role with similar vigor and posture.

Throughout the film, Cranston’s Mazur tempers the emotion as the story teeters toward looming chaos. This allows for a slower pace and the real story to be sifted out between sharp violent moments. In this manner, The Infiltrator mirrors the excellence of Traffic. The inherent plodding that accompanies investigating the money trail forces us to experience a tension born from the idea of consequence. That is, as he forges a familial relationship with a top Escobar Lieutenant in Alcaino (Bratt) with a fake fiance (Kruger), the penny seemingly has to drop, right? And that lands us in suspense.

Leguizamo adds his incognito moxie and street acumen as Emir Abreu and counters Mazur’s novelty. He is just as ace as Cranston and deserved of high praise.

This is a genre du jour of Film Clas. We love period cop dramas. The Infiltrator goes undercover to discover elite status, laundering 4.51 napkins out 5.