Kill The Messenger is a 2014, which stars Jeremy Renner, Robert Patrick and Jena Sims. The movie follows the journalist, Gary Webb, as he publishes his controversial series, Dark Alliance. Gary Stephen Webb (Jeremy Renner) publishes the Dark Alliance in The Mercury News in July of 1995. The article series claimed that the CIA was responsible for helping smuggle drugs into Los Angeles to the Crips and Bloods, before funneling the money to a Latin American guerrilla army.

 

The articles focuses on three individuals, Oscar Danilo Blandon, Norwin Meneses and Ricky Ross. According to the Dark Alliance series, Oscar and Meneses were responsible for smuggling the drugs into America and distributing them to local drug deals like Ricky Ross. The movie mainly focuses on Webb’s involvement, revelations and his eventual downfall. After the series is released, he is attacked and bashed, while being called a liar. Witnesses change their statements and Webb’s claims begin to fall apart.

 

Even The Mercury News turns on the journalist. From there, the CIA cleverly works to coverup the story and make Webb out to be unprofessional. From that point on, the rest is history. So, did Gary Webb expose the CIA’s involvement in cocaine trafficking, during Presidential Ronald Reagan’s years? Despite being constantly acknowledged as the “best president ever” today, Reagan’s Administration admitted the funds from their cocaine smuggling operation directly supported the Contra rebel in Nicaragua.

 

The Kerry Committee was setup and eventually discovered that payments were made by the U.S. State Department to known drug traffickers for carrying out humanitarian assistance towards the Contras. So, the Kerry Committee basically admits everything, except that the CIA worked to bring drugs into America. Freeway Rick Ross admitted his involvement and confirmed his main drug source was Oscar Danilo Blandon. Blandon was eventually brought down for his part in the crimes and served a lengthy 24-month sentence! Of course, he was released and hired by the DEA at a salaried rate of $42,000.

 

He was given a green card and continued to work for the organization. Now? The DEA insists they have no idea where he is and suggests he no longer works for them. According to a 2013 Esquire article, Rick Ross brought in $850 million dollars in profits between 1982 and 1989. Unlike the rest of the gang, Ross served hard time for his crimes and was only released in September of 2009.

 

So, what happened to Gary Webb? Apparently, he committed suicide, by shooting himself in the head twice! In the end, the mystery continues, but it is highly like the CIA and the federal government has done such, if not worse. At the end of the day, only one thing is certain, you cannot trust your government and those that run it.

 

As far as the movie goes, it is pretty good, although I wish it would’ve delved into the actual CIA operation a little more. Otherwise, Jeremy Renner does a good job playing the role. The movie deserves a 7.5 out of 10! If you’re open minded, you should definitely explore the Iran-Contra Affair a little more. Despite the much praised Ronald Reagan’s war on drugs, it seems his government was one of the biggest underlying problems. Any thoughts?