Sandy Kenyon review: 'The Infiltrator'

NEW YORK (WABC) -- In the midst of all the summer blockbusters between "Tarzan" and "Ghostbusters" comes a different kind of movie opening Wednesday.

"The Infiltrator" is a crime story set 30 years ago when First Lady Nancy Reagan was urging young people to "Just Say No" to drugs.

The new movie stars Bryan Cranston in the title role, and the star has been on a real roll of late.

He was nominated for an Oscar this year as "Trumbo" and won half a dozen Emmy awards for "Breaking Bad".

This time he's on the other side of the law.

The best dramas take us where we otherwise would not go and offer a peek inside a dangerous world from the comfort of a theater seat.

Bryan Cranston is "The Infiltrator", based on a real agent who was active for a quarter century in Florida.

His work was so dangerous and the bad guys he busted so bad, Bob Mazur's identity must still remain hidden.

The year is 1986. The mission? To slow the flow of drugs from Colombia's "Medellin" cartel.

And that means following the money from Pablo Escobar to his main distributor, played by Benjamin Bratt.

Cranston's character poses as a wealthy mob guy who can launder cash for the cartel.

John Leguizamo co-stars as another agent.

Even though Cranston's character had a real family at home, yet another agent, played by Diane Kruger, posed as his fiancé.

Great acting, a compelling and very real story make this worth seeing, although the script is not as taut nor as tight as it needs to be.

Great story and a welcome break from all the big summer blockbusters, but "The Infiltrataor" plays like the messy first draft of a film, which is a pity because it could have been so much better.

Brad Pitt fans will want to look for his brief cameo appearance, but don't blink or you will miss him!