One of the passages of the Catechism of the Catholic Church that has had a large impact on me explicitly states that “The end does not justify the means.”  That is a direct quote from paragraph 1749 of the book outlining the Church’s beliefs on all manner of subjects.  It contextualizes this tenet first by saying, “A good intention (for example, that of helping one’s neighbor) does not make behavior that is intrinsically disordered, such as lying and calumny, good or just.”  If you got lost in the clauses and vocabulary of that sentence, this is why it has the previous quote.  It goes on to discuss this in broad terms, such as the murder of an innocent person for the sake of a nation, which makes sense since this is a primary reason for why Jesus faced Crucifixion.  I think about this in regards to a film like The Infiltrator (2016).  It is about law enforcement officers going under cover and the toll it takes on them and their families.  We can look at their activities as justified since they are going after people who would otherwise criminally disrupt the peaceful function of a society.  To do so, however, these otherwise good people must engage in the very activities they are trying to police, which means doing the things against which the Catechism warns.  The main character, United States (US) Customs Agent Robert “Bob” Mazur (Bryan Cranston), is meant to be a sympathetic one, and I do feel sorry for him.  At the same time, I worry whether the lengths to which he goes are worth the effort, particularly for the good of his soul.

We immediately see Bob as The Infiltrator walking into a bowling alley in what is supposed to be Tampa, Florida.  I say “supposedly” because it is Ten Pin Lanes, which is less than five miles from where I am currently typing this review, and I do not live in Tampa, but I digress.  He has been working to make an arrest of a drug trafficker working in the area for the infamous Medellín Drug Cartel run by Pablo Escobar.  With his advancing age and a problem with the wire he had been wearing, Bob is given the opportunity to retire.  It seems like the right choice with how much he loves his wife, Evelyn Mazur (Juliet Aubrey), and two children.  Yet, one night while playing board games with them, the Mazurs are interrupted by Emir Abreu (John Leguizamo), a fellow US Customs Agent working under cover.  Emir’s uncouth visit is prompted by his informant (Juan Cely), and the hundreds of thousands of dollars Emir is attempting to give for information.  Bob is dismissive of the idea, thinking Emir crazy, but it gives him an idea.  Instead of going after the shipments of drugs and wherever else the illicit material goes, they should follow the money.  Because Emir already has an in with the local cartel, he and Bob are forced to work together.  To do so, Bob adopts the guise of Bob Musella, a businessman with the kinds of connections needed to make sure the Colombians ill-gotten gains are made legitimate.  From here, armed with a briefcase to record incriminating conversations, Bob gradually insinuates himself into the brutal and violent world of the largest cocaine operation in human history, all with the goal of bringing down the infamous Pablo Escobar.  As might be expected, it does not go swimmingly.  The first hurdle is to gain the Colombians’ trust.  Bob wants to go as fast as possible, but they are more cautious in their approach.  This is somewhat exasperated when he brings them to a strip club and they pay for him to sleep with an escort.  Before anything sexual can happen, he stops her and tells them that he has a fiancée.  This bit of information means his boss at US Customs, Bonni Tischler (Amy Ryan), must come up with a woman to fill this role in order to maintain the façade.  Bob protests that he prefers to work alone, but he is given the rookie Kathy Ertz (Diane Kruger) to be his bride-to-be.  Further, Bob survives a car crash during which another informant, Barry Seal (Michael Paré), is gunned down by the same people he is trying to court.  At the same time, his family begins to get mixed up in his work.  While out to dinner with Evelyn for their anniversary, he is recognized at the restaurant by one of the cartel members, forcing him to say that she is his secretary and react violently when they bring out an anniversary cake.  Finally, a bloody miniature coffin is sent to his office, which is picked up by his daughter when he inadvertently brings home the package.  This all has Evelyn questioning their marriage, though she eventually receives reassurance from Kathy as to Bob’s true feelings.  Kathy, indeed, proves an asset as they go deeper into their operation.  They are eventually introduced to Roberto Alcaino (Benjamin Bratt), and his wife, Gloria Alcaino (Elena Anaya).  Roberto is highly placed in the Medellín organization and is the one working closely with Bob in laundering the drug money.  Roberto comes to trust Bob so implicitly that when Bonni’s initial raid occurs, Roberto instructs Gloria to give Bob all the information to the cartel’s financial dealings.  At the same time, Kathy announces the date for the faux wedding, and Bob is sure to invite all the people with which he had been working for the past few years.  Although he does not expect it, Roberto shows up, too, despite supposedly being in hiding from the authorities.  This one has an effect on Bob, especially when police show up en masse to begin arresting those who had been under investigation.  With looks of betrayal on Gloria and Roberto’s faces, Bob orders them to be taken away.  Job done, Bob returns to Evelyn and the film ends.

Yes, the betrayal at the end of The Infiltrator is inevitable, but that does not make it easy.  Roberto is a sinner, and Gloria appears to be complicit in at least knowing about his illegal business.  What that does not change is the fact that they are human beings created by God, and therefore are able to repent of their sins.  The film, probably unwittingly, underscores this fact by showing the Alcainos as a Christian, likely Catholic, family, praying together over meals.  I am not being soft on these criminals because they are Catholic.  I am simply stating Catholic teaching that reminds us that no matter the nature of our acts, we can repent and do better.  Then again, I am not sure such is on Gloria and Roberto’s minds as they are being arrested.  This goes back to what I was discussing in the introduction.  I do not wish to diminish the awful nature of their illegal activities.  What I worry about are the lengths to which Bob is willing to go in order to put a stop to them.  Cheating and lying are sins no matter the cause for which you commit them.  To be fair, Bob does deserve some credit.  He could have easily cheated on his wife, justifying it by telling himself that it is for a “good cause.”  This is essentially the talking to given him by Emir.  During this exchange, and elsewhere, Bob is clearly distressed by what the job is making him do.  Thus, he asks Emir why he does it, to which Emir replies that he loves it.  Therein lies the problem.  What these criminal enterprises are doing is little different than lying, offering a false god in the form of drugs in order to cope.  To combat it, people like Bob and Emir are asked to become the thing they are fighting.  They may get results, but it is not helpful to them spiritually speaking.

I am also not being helpful with what I have to say about The Infiltrator in terms of its quality as a film.  It is a solid one, and Cranston earned a nomination for Best Actor at the Academy Awards for his role.  It is rated R, though, and thus there is some material in it that you might want to avoid, mainly with the drug use, language, and violence.  There are worse examples, however.  As such, this is a mixed recommendation.