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| Available at Amazon.com |
Who knew being a pen pal could be so dangerous? Elementary school teachers used to promote the joys of writing letters to people. They would blather on about cultural outreach and making friends in distant lands via a stamp. But they never spoke of how a simple letter can lead to a career as a drug kingpin. Charles Cosby learned the hard way when he wrote a simple fan letter. Instead of scribbling his adoration to Marie Osmond, Bea Arthur or the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, he penned a missive to Griselda Blanco, the Godmother of Columbian cocaine distribution. Instead of receiving an autographed photo, she invited him to visit her in prison. Cosby’s life was completely elevated when he passed through the bars. She was smitten with the small time dealer. Would he live to tell the tale of loving the Godmother who also was nicknamed the Black Widow?
The first Cocaine Cowboys documentary took us into the drug deals that built Miami from a sleepy resort city into a mini-Manhattan. The amount of drugs and cash that swapped hands during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s seemed equal to a Great Pyramid being built on a monthly basis. But this was not a peaceful time of party people tooting up their goodies at the disco. Things got violent as Latin American enforcers turned the city into a shooting gallery. Various survivors of the Cocaine Cowboy battles told stories that were more riveting than Michael Mann’s Miami Vice movie. Cocaine Cowboys became required viewing for folks who already owned every DVD release of Scarface.
Griselda Blanco was introduced in the first film. The Columbian Queenpin brought the bloodshed to Miami with her Draconian attitude. She was such a gangster that her son was named Michael Corleone. This mother had no qualms in killing. Nobody was off-limits if they got in her way. She’d whack a guy in front of his kids. She had crooked cops slaughter her ex-husband in front of their son. She wasn’t a sweet loving woman. But she found love after getting busted and shipped to a woman’s prison near Oakland. It was during this confinement that she received the unexpected fan letter from Charles Cosby. He was a local street hustler of drugs. Nothing special. But his sweet words inspired her to invite him to jail. During their meetings, she fell in love. She bribed the guards so they could sneak off for quickie sex in a closet. Three minutes in heaven cost under $2,000. He gave her a ride worth the cash.
What’s amazing is that Cosby could get sexually aroused around her. Griselda looks like Roseanne Barr when she was Roseanne Barr. She was not a hottie. How did he do her? This was before Viagra. Perhaps Rick James had it right when he declared, “Cocaine is a helluva drug.” Griselda become his sugar momma and put him into the cocaine business. Her first “gift” was enough blow to keep John Belushi happy for a weekend. But there was a price to pay for her love. Cosby became her legs on the outside. He raced across the country keeping up her drug empire. She spent most of her hard time on the cell block phone. It’s great to know that during the “war on drugs,” being locked up in the joint didn’t take the Queenpin out of the loop. The problem with being Griselda’s boyfriend was her ability to end a relationship swiftly. Instead of a break up talk, she merely had the ex-lover killed. Would Cosby meet the same fate when he got on her bad side? That’s the big focus of the film. How do you write off your penpal and survive?
There’s plenty of great stories covered in Cocaine Cowboys 2. Director Billy Corben and his crew break out animation to illustrate the more disturbing tales that can’t be covered with vintage news footage. The best cartoon moment is when two horny secretaries destroyed a major case. We learn how Griselda plotted to kidnap JFK Jr. She’s an evil woman. Cosby knows how to tell his lifestory. You might take a few tips from him on how to deal with a difficult girlfriend. His story would be extraordinarily inspiring if it wasn’t about put crack cocaine on the street. Cocaine Cowboys 2: Hustlin’ with the Godmother is the gangster romance of the year.
The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The image is clean since it was all shot on videotape. The audio is Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0. The audio commentary from director Corben and co-producer David Cypkin tells the stories behind the stories. It’s pretty intense hooking up with the gangsters to get their testimonies. The subtitles are in Spanish. The film is Closed Captioned.
The Making of Cocaine Cowboys 2: Hustlin’ with Charles Cosby (15:18) lets us know it’s dangerous to make these documentaries. One of the people interviewed had plans to rob the crew until he discovered they had made Cocaine Cowboys. Is that considered a ghetto pass?
Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery (2:08) is a slideshow of the crew and interview subjects.
Archival Photo Gallery (3:04) is a slideshow of the vintage stills that were used in the film. Charles was living large during his glory days.
Art Gallery: Animation Sketches (1:42) is a slideshow of the character designs.
Deleted Scenes (9:10) has Cosby talk about his early criminal exploits.
Cocaine Cowboys II: Hustlin’ with the Godmother is the perfect treat for those who enjoy Scarface, Miami Vice and Grand Theft Auto. Charles Cosby describes the joys and dangers of his days when he was the lover of the most dangerous woman in the underworld.
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Magnolia Home Entertainment presents Cocaine Cowboys II: Hustlin’ With The Godmother. Directed by: Billy Corben. Featuring: Charles Cosby, Raul Diaz & Will Collins. Running time: 99 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Released on DVD: July 29, 2008. Available at Amazon.com
About Joe Corey
