FLM.RED / After the credits
Two officers and a prisoner in a night of distrust
Spoilers for Facing El Chapo: a routine traffic stop leaves Arturo and Rosales with a dangerous decision.
Open the recap & discussion — spoilers
Arturo Carmona and Héctor Rosales have barely begun working together when a reported stolen car brings an unexpected passenger into their custody.
The man in the car
El Chapo and El Cholo escape an operation, take a car and are stopped by the officers. Arturo recognizes the passenger. Rosales understands the danger of arresting him, but the men have already seen the officers’ faces and patrol car number. They decide to keep the prisoners in custody.
An offer and a watch
El Chapo offers money and issues threats. Arturo also mistrusts his new partner, partly because of an expensive watch and conversations he does not understand. Rosales later explains the watch was a gift from his father. In a world where officers may be compromised, even trusting a partner feels risky.
A hiding place that does not stay hidden
The officers send their superior a photo and hide at a motel, but an attendant recognizes El Chapo and sends word to his associates. Men head for the motel and Arturo’s home. Arturo hears gunfire over a call with his wife, then learns the army has reached his family in time. Naval forces take El Chapo into custody at the motel.
A dramatized account
Facing El Chapo, also titled La captura, is a thriller inspired by the 2016 capture of Joaquín Guzmán. Its scenes and dialogue are cinematic storytelling rather than proof of every conversation that took place. Its focus is the anxious interval between a capture and a handover, when the officers must decide whom to trust.
After watching
- When did you begin to trust Rosales?
- Did the motel setting make the second half more tense for you?
Before watching
A crime thriller with threats and violence.
Keep the conversation going
Is it a documentary?
No. It is a dramatized thriller inspired by a real capture.
