Pubdate: Fri, 12 Jul 2013 Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA) Copyright: 2013 Hearst Communications Inc. Contact: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/#1 Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388 Author: David Lewis Page: E7 TALLYING THE COST OF WAR ON DRUGS "How to Make Money Selling Drugs," a highly entertaining and informative look at America's war on drugs, offers a tongue-in-cheek manual of how to become a cartel leader - instructions that are easy to follow as 1-2-3, as long as you don't mind going to prison for long stretches or living in fear of having your head blown off, among other workplace hazards. But it's not just a glib exercise: This surprisingly ambitious, cleverly packaged documentary has serious things on its mind, first and foremost the sobering implications of an antidrug policy that many would agree is a disaster. Writer-director Matthew Cooke, lending his voice in effective narration, guides us as if we're playing a video game, in which we advance through the various levels of drug dealing expertise, from foot soldier to distribution manager to kingpin. It's laughable, sad and scary. After we've learned in breezy fashion how to become Scarface Jr., the satire all but disappears as Cooke offers a devastating (though not original) critique of U.S. drug policy. Amazingly, he covers most of the bases in the film's 94 minutes, including addiction, racism, class inequality, the prison industrial complex, you name it. He also introduces us to former drug dealers, ex-law enforcement agents and such luminaries as Woody Harrelson, Susan Sarandon, Eminem, 50 Cent and David Simon, who wrote the HBO series "The Wire." The shift in tone during the second half of the film will seem jarring to some, but the parody that dominates the first half more than hints of the moral outrage to come. "How to Make Money Selling Drugs" is clearly the work of a director who has something to say, and wants to say it to as many people as possible. Cooke may overstuff his documentary with too many points, but if a young person had to watch just one film about the drug war, this is not a bad choice. How to Make Money Selling Drugs Directed by Matthew Cooke With Susan Sarandon, Eminem, 50 Cent. Not rated. 94 minutes. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt