The Story Behind Sundance Favorite 'Cartel Land' Men's Journal
go to original January 29, 2015

Cartel Land: Meet The Artist '15 - Matthew Heineman(Sundance Film Festival)

Cartel Land, from director Matthew Heineman, presents a parallel story of U.S. and Mexican vigilantes fighting back against the powerful drug cartels on both sides of the border. The film profiles Tim "Nailer" Foley, of Arizona's Border Recon, who leads a band of grisly, well-armed men who are focused on rooting out the cartel scouts dotting the hills of the Arizona border.

Nailer's tale is set against the story of Dr. José Mireles, a Mexican doctor from the state of Michoacán - controlled by the brutal Knights Templar - who leads the Autodefensas, an armed, paramilitary group dedicated to driving the cartels out of their towns. Heineman interviews the meth dealers who say they'd love to go straight, speaks with the victims affected by the violence, and embeds with the Autodefensas as they fight back against the cartels, capturing vivid footage of two shootouts.

The Journal spoke with Heineman about the expanding power of cartels on both sides of the border, filming through gunfire, and the current despair in Mexico. Vigilantism is something people may not understand if they live under a functional government.

Read the interview at Men's Journal

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