Standing five-foot-six—hence his nickname “El Chapo,” which translates to “Shorty”—the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel was responsible for killing 2,000 to 3,000 people, anyone he saw as rivals and traitors. Add in those he killed indirectly and the estimate climbs to over 34,000. Now in solitary confinement at a Colorado prison known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” the notorious drug lord and the inner workings of his empire remain a point of fascination for many. Instead of focusing on the villain himself, the film Facing El Chapo is told from the perspective of two Mexican officers in Los Mochis who find themselves face-to-face with El Chapo during a routine traffic stop, six months after he escaped from prison. Inspired by real events known as Operation Black Swan, the film does not glorify its villain but rather lauds those who worked to bring him down amid a system burdened with corruption on both sides. —Maggie Turner