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