The interesting true story behind Netflix’s ‘Facing El Chapo’
Counterattack filmmaker Chava Cartas is back with an adrenaline-fueled action thriller, Facing El Chapo, AKA La captura, on Netflix, which, as guessed by many hawk-eyed viewers, is indeed inspired by a true story.
Based on one of the most significant moments of Mexico’s recent history, which is the capture of Joaquín Guzmán, better known as El Chapo, the gripping crime thriller follows two Mexican federal police officers, Arturo Carmona and his new partner, unpredictable veteran officer Héctor Rosales, who unsuspectingly confront notorious drug lord Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán during what starts as a routine traffic stop involving a stolen vehicle in 2016.
Speaking of the true story that inspired Facing El Chapo, Cartas revealed to Tudum, “After producing Counterattack, we came across the true story of two police officers who risked their lives to capture the world’s most notorious drug lord, and we knew it was a story that needed to be told.” “[It’s] a deeply realistic film that constantly poses the question: ‘What would I do?’”
For those curious, the high-stakes Netflix thriller is more specifically based on the events of the mission to capture Guzmán, dubbed Operation Black Swan, which unfolded on January 8th of the same year in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico.
The operation was collaboratively led by the US and Mexico to recapture the infamous cartel leader, who had then recently made headlines in July 2015 for breaking out of prison through a tunnel underneath his cell’s bathtub, sparking widespread panic.
A team of Mexican Marines invaded a house amidst the mission El Chapo was reportedly using as a safe house, when an unprecedented gunfight erupted between the Marines and the armed men inside, giving Guzmán and his top lieutenant, Jorge Ivan Gastelum Avila, aka Cholo Ivan, the window to escape via a hatch behind the refrigerator.
They crawled through a sewer drain before hijacking a four-wheeler, a white Volkswagen Jetta, which eventually broke down roughly after a mile, prompting the criminal duo to steal a red Ford Focus. The two police officers, whose stories are the heart of Facing El Chapo, were oblivious to the ongoing manhunt when they pulled over the hardened criminals for speeding in a stolen car.
As detailed in the reconstructions in Facing El Chapo, Operation Black Swan was an extremely dangerous mission for obvious reasons, and what followed when the cops were confronted with Guzmán and Gastelum Avila is no less tense a representation. But if you’re yet to watch the gritty new action thriller, do it now before more spoilers ruin the suspense!