In 1986, federal agent Robert Mazur (Bryan Cranston) goes under cover to infiltrate the trafficking network of Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. Working with fellow agents Kathy Ertz (Diane Kruger) and Emir Abreu (John Leguizamo), Mazur poses as a slick, money-laundering businessman named Bob Musella. Gaining the confidence of Roberto Alcaino (Benjamin Bratt), Escobar’s top lieutenant, Mazur must navigate a vicious criminal underworld where one wrong move could cost him everything.
Director: Brad Furman
Production Designer: Crispian Sallis
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Diane Kruger & John Leguizamo
Locations: London, UK & Florida
Location Brief: Replicating period 1980’s Florida across London and UK
Working with Brad Furman & Crispian Sallis on The Infiltrator
I enjoyed collaborating with Brad Furman, who pulled off an impressive feat—recreating 1980s Florida and Miami while shooting 90% of the film in London. He ensured every scene felt sun-soaked and authentic—despite London’s grey skies and rain.
Production designer Crispian Sallis (known for Hannibal, Gladiator, Aliens) masterminded period-accurate interiors and carefully crafted exteriors—not only in London, Buckinghamshire,—seamlessly blending UK and US settings into a single, believable world.
Brad, drawing on his ’80s nostalgia and musical instincts (he even helped choose period-appropriate tracks like Rush’s “Tom Sawyer”), made the soundtrack as central to the time-period as the visuals. He also leaned on long-standing relationships—Bryan Cranston, John Leguizamo, Benjamin Bratt—to create a cast atmosphere built on trust and authenticity.
Final Thoughts
The Infiltrator was a masterclass in cinematic illusion—transforming London into Florida, and weaving together locations to tell a gripping, period-perfect 1980s true-crime story. Furman’s directorial vision and Sallis’s meticulous production design made it feel real—on and off screen.
Here are some of my original location scout photo’s for the film:
Film Trailer:
