The Legend of Cocaine Island (2018)

Well.

This is more film than documentary. When you already see that the documentary starts by stating that many facts are unclear, you know immediately that you shouldn't expect the most in-depth documentary. After the introduction of the characters, it is clear that the "story" takes center stage here.

Nice and all, but then you're basically sitting there watching some wild stories from obscure hillbillies for 85 minutes. That is reasonably amusing in itself, but afterwards, there isn't exactly anything that sticks with you. Although there will undoubtedly be idiots again who believe it all and follow the madness.

I'm not much of a fan of those wacky-character documentaries, especially when the story behind them sounded quite interesting. It's more like gawking like a monkey than a serious portrayal of reality, something that ultimately doesn't get me all that wild. But apparently, I have that problem with more documentaries, not just of this kind.

2.0*

Translated from Dutch · View original

Sort of filming by numbers. Talking head, flashy explanation, talking head. A rather infantile way of storytelling that seems fresh at first glance, but after five minutes you've seen it all. And then the film drags on for a very long time and the story doesn't pull you in at all.

1.5*

Translated from Dutch · View original

Businessman Rodney Hyden lost a fortune during the 2007 financial crisis. Struggling with a fresh start in a new environment, a hippie told him an exciting story about the discovery of a bag full of cocaine that was supposedly still hidden on the Puerto Rican island of Culebra. Rodney saw an opportunity to make a fortune, but burned his fingers in his attempts to find and sell the loot. And wasn't it just an urban legend? With some dramatization, this story would be suitable for a feature film version, but this dry retelling is not very exciting or interesting.

Translated from Dutch · View original