A Knife in the Chest

by Michael Douglas Carlin

A few days later, Lobo is on the ground grappling with a vaquero. Lobo has the vaquero’s arms pulled back and the man’s face is in the dirt. Lobo, “easy now, Cabron, I’m gunna remember this later and if I get my pretty face cut up, it won’t go good for you.”

Angel has his gun drawn and looks like he is going to shoot through Lobo to kill the man. Thinking better of it he comes up and pistol whips the vaquero in the head. Blood is everywhere but the blow did the trick. The man is out like a light.

“Angel, are you turning over a new leaf? I thought you would kill him.”

“Naugh, este, normally I would have just shot him right through you…but with the new Comandante coming in I didn’t want to have to explain why we are two men short.”

Lobo is waiting to see if this is a joke, but it is no joke so he is back to business, “what was he trying to say?”

La Tortuga, “something about his shirt pocket.”

“I won’t let him go for less than ten grand. He can’t have that in his shirt pocket.”

“Maybe he thought we could take credit cards.” The man has been handcuffed and is still bleeding. Lobo reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out a decal with the familiar insignia of the Bengal tiger. “I guess he didn’t have time to put it on his van.”

“How much you want to get from him?”

“That was before I knew he was untouchable. I guess we will have to get our money from them.” La Tortuga looks over where there are three men in the back seat of the other car. They are stuffed in there and on top of the hood are a few guns, and a hundred small packages of what appear to be drugs. The prisoners are watching the Federales “Angel’s worried about the new Comondante, I don’t want Hector Garcia Salazar on my ass.”

“You mean you don’t want his tiger on your ass.”

“No shit, huh, I’ll never get used to seeing him walk around with a full grown tiger in Downtown Juarez.”

La Tortuga is looking at the sticker, “I have never seen one of these that isn’t attached to a windshield. Who could blame us for taking him down? And this sticker might come in handy someday soon.”

Angel nods in approval as he unhand cuffs the Vaquero and rolls him over. With a smooth movement he stabs him in the chest.

“I think those guys saw you kill him.”

“That was the point. We have had an offer of fifteen to let all three go. How much will they offer now?”

“I say fifty minimum.”

“Minimum! Seventy-five or a hundred and we make them give us the money by dawn.”

“Este, we can’t let them all go. We need something for the newspapers.”

“With the weight in the van we have a few hundred kilos for the newspapers. We just find someone to attach to the drugs and we have a housewarming gift for the new Comandante.”

The three cars drive off. All three prisoners are in the back of a single car driving in the middle. The van has been left with the dead Vaquero. There is also a pick-up nearby that belonged to the three prisoners but there is nothing in the bed, it has all been removed and packed in the other cars.

In the early morning the three cars pull up in front of a small Juarez cafe. The three men get out, no one else is around and the three prisoners are no longer in the cars.

La Tortuga, “not a bad night’s work!”

Lobo, “a hundred-seventy-five in cash and the packages.”

Angel, “And you were going to settle for fifteen. Funny how the more real they feel it is; the more cash they seem to be able to get their hands on.”

“The blade of a knife in the chest of a man brings a whole lot of reality to the situation.”

“Oh, that? My bad! But just in case that was a mistake let’s sit on this for a day or two and listen to what we hear from Salazar’s Exotic Zoo. Nothing, so far, has happened that we can’t fix with drugs and money.”

Michael Douglas Carlin is a filmmaker, author, and journalist. American Federale is available on iTunes, Amazon, and GooglePlay. Rise a Knight is available on Amazon. Peaceful Protests and A Prescription For Peace is available on iTunes.

© 2000 – 2014 Michael Douglas Carlin. All rights reserved.

MOVIES IN MEXICO

(This article originally appeared in the February 5th, 2013 edition of the Century City News)

Editorial by Mick Merivel

While working on a few particular tasks involving my own current film projects it dawned on me that filming in Mexico had been completely taken off the table with regard to production. I asked some fellow friends and colleagues in the vast land of filmmaking and was surprised to hear that I’d be crazy to film in Mexico at this time. I put my thoughts on the back burner and focused on other tasks I had on hand, but in the back of my mind I wondered why the shift had taken place from a favorite country to film in to a country to never film in…What had happened?

I decided to look into what had changed in Mexico and I’ve been astonished by the information I discovered. Without getting anyone in trouble and deciding not to name names or point fingers let’s just cover the main points. Mexico is in trouble. It is currently being run by a known corrupt government, and the drug trade and kidnapping, not to mention the violence just upon their own people has escalated to new highs. Filming in Mexico is simply out of the question at this time. And personally to me I find that very sad. Thinking of a number of amazing and fun films that I’ve seen probably just like you that were filmed there a number of years ago, it is a tragedy that we cant take the quick jaunt to Mexico any longer and that a huge number of projects are and have been filming to a neighbor in the north, Canada.

I’m not tarnishing the people of Mexico. On the contrary, they are some of the best people in the world and as we all know some of the hardest working and happiest. I guess my ramblings of thought are really just being sent out to all of you out there in the film community and beyond, that with our power and influence let us focus on our nearest neighbor to the south a bit more than we have been. Let us all tell our congressmen and women and Senators that we care about our neighboring country and any assistance we can contribute to them to help end the violence and bloodshed there and bring Mexico back into the fold of our amazingly fun and influential business the better for both our countries.

Mick recently produced the film "American Federale" that can be seen on iTunes, Amazon, and GooglePlay.

American Federale

(This article originally appeared in the Jan 8th, 2013 edition of the Century City News)
By Melody Johnson

The typical L.A. Story. Michael Carlin is sitting with a friend at a sushi bar and in walks Oliver Stone. It sounds like the set up to a joke but it is in reality a true story. Stone told Carlin to follow the story. And that advice brought us American Federale.

Twelve years ago this story began on a street corner in El Paso, Texas. A Suburban arrives and equipment is stowed in the back. A blindfold is placed over Carlin’s eyes and the adventure is afoot. The interview proved worth the risk as former Federale, Lobo, told his story that included torture, extortion, bribes, and over 22 gun battles during his time in the Chihuahua State Police as well as the Mexican Federal Police.

Lobo gives us insights into his many exploits and shows us a glimpse into the culture of corruption that exists in Mexico today. He tells us about working to protect Drug Lords and take them down when they fall out of favor. He was complicit only because going against the grain would have cost him his life. What began as a youth’s quest for excitement and a life of rubbing elbows with the rich and powerful transitioned into Lobo being tortured to within a breath of losing his life. How he escaped death is still unexplained and qualifies as a miracle. His life was often spared during his ten years by mere chance. He tells us that all of his friends from that era are now dead and they all died very violent deaths. Many of them with their entire families… “Capone Style.”

Carlin also takes us into Border Mexico as he risks his life to capture images that bring this story to life. His many trips into Juarez and Ojinaga bring us behind the scenes where we see Military, Federal Police, State Police and Municipal Police that are known to be on both sides of the law. The blurry lines we see in this documentary teach us that Anarchy truly isn’t the answer. We learn from the film that the blurring of lines that is happening in America today may lead us to bad places and we have the ability to make choices today to lead us to more defined lines and a more orderly and peaceful society.

What I learned from my interview with Carlin is that corruption touched his family during America’s own lawless period in the 20’s when his great grandfather worked for Al Capone. “My grandfather used to pick me up and put me on the counter when he would make me pancakes and tell me stories about his childhood. When he was young his father received a telephone call and went off to work for Capone and was never heard from again.” Carlin’s grandfather drowned his sorrows in alcohol and that dysfunction touched every generation of his family down to and including him.

The ramification of the violence in Mexico has led to a hundred thousand widows and orphans and the impact will never be fully comprehended. Fixing corruption may take many generations at a cost of billions of dollars. Is the quick money from the drug trade really worth the immediate gratification? The audience can draw their own conclusions.

This film is not for the weak willed or squeamish. It is a hard-edged film that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Anyone wondering about Border Mexico, Immigration, Drug Policy, or lawlessness must add this film to his or her watch list. The film is set to be released in early 2013 and will be entered into the Cannes Film Festival.

The film is available on Amazon, iTunes, and GooglePlay.

American Federale Trailer Goes Viral with 170,000 Views in Three Days

by Michael Douglas Carlin

It is a typical LA story. Oliver Stone walks into a sushi bar and sits down next to a filmmaker and tells him to “follow the story.” This influence plus the influence of Max Baer Junior, Quentin Tarantino, Brian De Palma, and Lawrence Kasdan leads to the completion of American Federale.

“I supplied the equipment on Reservoir Dogs and gave a couple of young filmmakers a break,” says Carlin who directed the film, American Federale. He grew up in Hollywood and had a steady stream of movie moguls at his dinner table. When he first met Lobo he knew he had hit ‘movie making pay dirt.’

Now the trailer is generating a lot of buzz. Since being posted less than three days ago this trailer is going viral. There is so much interest in border violence and cartel wars. The trailer is a snippet of the movie and seems to connect with so many people wanting to understand the reasons people are dying.

American Federale takes us behind the scenes in border Mexico where life constantly hangs in the balance. We all assume we know about life there but Lobo gives us a first hand account of his time in the Mexican State Police as well as his experiences as a Mexican Federale. He tells us about torture, bribery, and extortion. That world comes complete with a two edged sword that cuts away… but when things turn it cuts back and most often the wound is fatal. Lobo narrowly escapes with his life.

The region was ruled by Pablo Acosta who was one of the most vicious Drug Lords. Acosta would provide money for schools, hospitals and churches but would also torture, rape and murder innocent civilians to reign by terrorizing.  His power was vast.  His enormous wealth measured more than 25 Billion Dollars. Lobo is the Federale that killed Pablo Acosta in 1987.

Lobo is a not only a Mexican Federal Police officer but an American.  He tells us about living in the United States and working in Juarez, Mexico -  "The City God Forgot".  In this border town across from El Paso, Texas, the drug cartels reign supreme.   Juarez has one of the highest murder rates in Mexico and the world.  And one of the highest per capita number of widows. We get to know Lobo and the allure of becoming involved with notorious drug lords to rub elbows with the rich and powerful in border Mexico.

In this riveting documentary directed by Michael Douglas Carlin, a journalist and humanitarian who travels the world, we see a man who embraced the cartel lifestyle - power, women, money  - and then renounces it and seeks a Good Life.   At one point, Lobo made over $180,000 a year.  He never paid a bar bill.  He held sway over life and death. 

But then the viciousness of Pablo Acosta changed him. Acosta would take a man's wife, rape her for days and then return her hooked on heroin.  He killed for sport. The Mexican Government protected Acosta for many years. Then the order was given to take him down. Even then Acosta was always one step ahead as the Mexican Government leaked information to him of pending raids. One day a scrap of information tipped the scale on Acosta and he was killed in a cross border raid. A gun battle – ninety minutes of hell ensued. In the end Acosta was dead.

Being a witness to atrocities takes its toll. Lobo has been on a quest to give back to cleanse himself from the blood that spattered on his soul. He has found peace through a life of service. He has found redemption in helping ease the pain of this troubled world. American Federale is an important film and a must see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNPyXgwWOQY

(Link for the theatrical trailer)

About Michael Douglas Carlin: Michael writes for the Century City News about social issues including how to have a more peaceful society. His books are available on iTunes and include: A Prescription For Peace, Peaceful Protests, and Rise a Knight. Carlin has produced a dozen low budget movies and American Federale is his directorial debut.

Contact:

Melody Johnson
Centurycitynews.mj@gmail.com
PO Box 67522
Los Angeles, CA 90067
424.789.2136
www.centurycitynews.com

Tráiler American Federale se vuelve viral alcanzando 170.000 visitas en tres días

by Michael Douglas Carlin

Es una típica historia de Los Angeles. Oliver Stone entra a un sushi bar y se sienta al lado de un director de cine y le dice que "siga la historia." Esta influencia más la influencia de Max Baer Junior, Quentin Tarantino, Brian De Palma, y ​​Lawrence Kasdan conducen a la terminación de American Federale.

"Suministré los equipos en Reservoir Dogs y les di a un par de jóvenes cineastas un descanso", dijo Carlin quien dirigió la película, American Federale. Se crió en Hollywood y tenía una relación constante con los magnates del cine en su mesa. Cuando conoció a Lobo sabía que iba a hacer una gran película.

El tráiler está generando un montón de comentarios. Desde que fue publicado hace menos de tres días este tráiler se está volviendo viral. Hay mucho interés en la violencia que se da en la frontera y las guerras entre cárteles. El trailer es un fragmento de la película y parece conectar con muchos que desean comprender las razones por las que estas personas están muriendo.

American Federale nos lleva detrás de las escenas en la frontera de México, donde la vida siempre pende de un hilo. Todos tenemos una idea de cómo es la vida allí, pero Lobo nos da un relato de primera mano de su tiempo en la Policía del Estado de México, así como sus experiencias como federal mexicano. Él nos habla de la tortura, el soborno y la extorsión. Ese mundo es como una espada de doble filo... que cuando se vuelve en contra tuya, corta con mucha más profundidad y  la herida es mortal. Lobo por poco se salva de morir.

La región era gobernada por Pablo Acosta quien fue uno de los narcotraficantes más viciosos. Acosta no solo proporcionaba dinero a escuelas, hospitales e iglesias, sino que también torturaba, violaba y asesinaba a civiles inocentes para reinar por medio del terror. Su poder era enorme. Su enorme riqueza alcanzo más de 25 mil millones de dólares. Lobo es el federal quien mató a Pablo Acosta en 1987.

Lobo no es sólo un oficial de la policía federal mexicana sino que es  también un norteamericano. Nos cuenta de su vida en los Estados Unidos y como es trabajar en Ciudad Juárez, México - "La ciudad que Dios olvido". En esta ciudad en la frontera frente a El Paso, Texas, reinan los carteles de la droga. Juárez tiene una de las tasas más altas de asesinatos en México y en el mundo. Y tiene uno de los números más altos de mujeres viudas. Llegamos a conocer a Lobo y su manera de involucrarse con notorios capos de la droga, codearse con los ricos y los poderosos en la frontera de México.

En este documental fascinante dirigido por Michael Douglas Carlin, un periodista y humanitario que viaja por el mundo, vemos a un hombre que abrazó la vida cartel - el poder, las mujeres, el dinero - y luego renuncia a esta y busca una buena vida. En un momento, Lobo ganó más de $ 180.000 al año. Nunca pago una factura en el bar. Tenía una vida muy peligrosa.

Pero la crueldad de Pablo Acosta lo cambió. Acosta tomaba la esposa de un hombre la violaba por días y luego volvía a inyectarse heroína. Mataba por deporte. El Gobierno de México protegió a Acosta por muchos años. Luego se dio la orden de asesinarlo. Incluso en ese entonces Acosta estaba siempre un paso por delante ya que el Gobierno mexicano le filtraba información. Un día, un trozo de información inclinó la balanza en contra de Acosta y fue asesinado en una incursión transfronteriza. Un tiroteo  infernal de noventa minutos. Al final, Acosta estaba muerto.

Ser testigo de atrocidades trae sus consecuencias. Lobo ha estado en una búsqueda para cambiar su vida  y limpiarse de la sangre que salpicó su alma. Ha encontrado la paz por medio de una vida de servicio. Él ha encontrado la redención ayudando a aliviar el dolor de este mundo atribulado. American Federale es una película importante que se debe ser vista casi de  manera obligatoria.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNPyXgwWOQY

(Link para el remolque teatral)

Acerca de Michael Douglas Carlin: Michael escribe para Century City News sobre los problemas sociales, incluyendo  maneras de cómo tener una sociedad más pacífica. Sus libros están disponibles en iTunes, e incluyen: A Prescription For Peace, Peaceful Protests, y Rise a Knight. Carlin ha producido una docena de películas de bajo presupuesto y American Federale es su debut como director.

Contacto:

Melody Johnson

Centurycitynews.mj @ gmail.com

PO Box 67522

Los Angeles, CA 90067

424.789.2136

www.centurycitynews.com

Palabras clave: México, Violencia Fronteriza, Pablo Acosta, Quentin Tarantino, Lawrence Kasdan, Oliver Stone, American Federale, cárteles de la droga, Policía Federal de México,

American Federale Trailer Goes Viral with 762,000 Views in Seven Days

by Michael Douglas Carlin

American Federale chronicles the danger associated with the border between Mexico and the United States. Director and journalist, Michael Douglas Carlin takes us into both Juarez and Ojinaga with his video cameras. He put his life on the line to give us this behind the scenes look at the perils of the border. In the last decade 81 journalists have been killed in Mexico and dozens have disappeared. Most recently Jaime Gonzalez Dominguez was killed at a taco stand in Ojinaga, a town that Carlin visited.

Production on the film began over 12 years ago when Carlin was able to interview a former Mexican Federale about his experiences in the Mexican Federal Police as well as his time spent with the State Police. Lobo (not his real name for security reasons) gives us some insight into border Mexico. He tells us his experience in the trenches with over 22 gun battles and the cross border raid to kill drug lord Pablo Acosta. To put this all in perspective Pablo Acosta amassed 25 billion dollars by the time of his death. Comadante Calderoni, who led the raid, also became an extremely wealthy man amassing a sum of 400 million dollars that he moved to the United States before he entered the Witness Protection Program. While in the program he was assassinated. 

Lobo is a not only a Mexican Federal Police officer but an American.  He tells us about living in the United States and working in Juarez, Mexico -  "The City God Forgot".  In this border town across from El Paso, Texas, the drug cartels reign supreme.   Juarez has one of the highest murder rates in Mexico and the world and one of the highest per capita number of widows. We get to know Lobo and the allure of becoming involved with notorious drug lords to rub elbows with the rich and powerful in border Mexico.

In this riveting documentary directed by Michael Douglas Carlin, a journalist and humanitarian who travels the world, we see a man who embraced the cartel lifestyle - power, women, money  - and then renounces it and seeks a Good Life.   At one point, Lobo made huge sums and spent it all to navigate his treacherous path.  He never paid a bar bill.  He held sway over life and death. 

But then the viciousness of Pablo Acosta changed him. Acosta would take a man's wife, rape her for days and then return her hooked on heroin.  He killed for sport. The Mexican Government protected Acosta for many years. Then the order was given to take him down. Even then Acosta was always one step ahead as the Mexican Government leaked information to him of pending raids. One day a scrap of information tipped the scale on Acosta and that led to the cross border raid. A gun battle – ninety minutes of hell ensued. In the end Acosta was dead.

Being a witness to atrocities takes its toll. Lobo has been on a quest to give back to cleanse himself from the blood that spattered on his soul. He has found peace through a life of service. He has found redemption in helping ease the pain of this troubled world. American Federale is an important film and a must see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNPyXgwWOQY

(Link for the theatrical trailer)

http://americanfederale.blogspot.com/

(Link for blog)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Federale/356345937797983?fref=ts

(Link for facebook)

http://www.americanfederale.com

(Link for website)

About Michael Douglas Carlin: Michael writes for the Century City News about social issues including how to have a more peaceful society. His books are available on iTunes and include: A Prescription For Peace, Peaceful Protests, and Rise a Knight. Carlin has produced a dozen low budget movies and American Federale is his directorial debut.

American Federale: Directed by Michael Douglas Carlin, Produced by Michael Mandaville (Taken, Taken II, American History X), Edited by Chrome Cobra.

For interviews please contact:

Melody Johnson
Centurycitynews.mj@gmail.com
PO Box 67522
Los Angeles, CA 90067
424.789.2136
www.centurycitynews.com