Description: |
To protect one of their own, the Italian mob descends on the US/Mexico border, to take on the most powerful cartel On the US border.
"EL Coyote," is about a father's quest to both stop a kidnapping and save his own son's life - a son struggling to fight not only for his life but, as many, striving for the American Dream. "EL Coyote" is an hour of serious drama, misfortunes, death and lawlessness.
This film is a cross between the smash hit "Breaking Bad" and the gritty drama "The Bridge." Illegal drug manufacturing, distribution and selling all financed by money laundering activities as in "Breaking Bad;" cartel bloody killings, kidnappings and the slippery politics of Mexican law enforcement as in "The Bridge."
Stone Spencer is in his mid-50s and resides in Phoenix, Arizona. He's divorced from his ex-wife Sophie Spencer. They have one son, Jax, and a daughter, Carmen. Stone is a retired, ex-mobster formerly with the Bonanno crime family. He worked as an undercover special consultant for the US government: CIA ... and others. When the CIA needed plausible deniability, Stone was brought in as a NOC (Non-Official Cover). Stone always accomplished the mission. He will use all his talents to both save his son and protect his family.
The audience will remain in suspense as to how Stone got his skills - including his past - until the end of the season.
Jax Spencer is 29 years old. He's an ICE agent, having been with them for 5 years. He works out of the Nogales office in southern Arizona. Jake is six feet tall, very handsome, talented, smart, athletic, a great shot with the pistol and a steely-eyed KravMaga instructor. He has a beautiful fiancee's who is both a little nervous and very protective of Jake. Jake does not know about his father's past. He only knows his father may have helped some police or military agencies once or twice on a special occasion.
Jax's sister Carmen lives with their mother, Sophie. Carmen is a sixteen-year-old, and she is a typical teenager. She is a precocious knockout with incredible looks. She adores her older brother and has followed his whole career. Carmen becomes crazed when Jake gets kidnapped. She becomes unbalanced and runs away, searching for her brother. When she crosses the border into Mexico, this causes unimaginable problems for both her and her family. Carmen's mom, Sophie, has no choice but to go after her daughter.
Sophie Spencer, Stone's ex-wife, is a New Yorker with that characteristic New York attitude. In her late forties, she is still very attractive. Sophie pushes Stone to find and bring home their son. Sophie, knowing Stone's past and dogged determination well, begs him to help. There's still a little something special between them.
On a mission one day, Jax and 4 other agents get high-jacked and a gun battle breaks out. The 3 agents are killed and Jax is kidnapped by a band of human smugglers who are members of the "Matutero Cartel." "Smuggler Cartel" in English.
The Matuteros take Jax to their compound in Mexico. For Jake to survive, he must find someone to bring a significant number of illegal aliens, drugs and important cartel members - without papers - across the U.S. border. Once this happens, and the cartel is satisfied, Jake will be freed... We think.
CIA, ICE, DEA and others in our government will not help with a "snatch and grab" attempt to save Jake because it's across the border in cartel territory - a cartel the U.S. government has secret deals with. Instead, our government chooses the diplomatic, "negotiate," approach. This doesn't work.
Given only one opportunity to make a call and secure someone trustworthy to help the Matuteros, Jake has only one person he can trust with that call - his dad. Remembering his dad dabbled in help for law enforcement or the military way back when, Jax makes that call.
Jax is beaten, stripped, tortured and starved. When he's allowed to make calls, it's to his dad or his fiancee's, Britt, and it's always to help him get out and to do what the cartel demands, smuggle humans and whatever else they want across the American border. The contact is made between Stone and the cartel. He gets instructions and directions for pick-up and drop off locations. Stone goes to work.
Stone starts off slow and then becomes a very good smuggler. The Matuteros give a nickname to Stone, "El Coyote". Not only is "El Coyote" a good smuggler, but he cares about his "packages". Not leaving anyone behind to die in the scorching Arizona desert, Stone feeds and provides plenty of water to his "packages," making sure they make it to their final destination, the "drop" or "stash" house.
Stone meets with the CIA, DEA and other government agencies. Each meeting is always the same: "our hands are tied"; "we can't help because it's south of the border; and negotiations are being held as we speak in Washington, D.C." Stone is also informed that the government is negotiating with officials in Mexico that might be on the cartel's payroll, which makes this rescue / escape infinitely more difficult.
"El Coyote" Stone is doing everything the Matuteros ask of him. Stone is always asking them how many more and he is told "we'll let you know." Stone informs the government agencies of his progress. Still, though, there is no help form the U.S. government. Sophie and Carmen pester Stone for answers and results. His answer to them is always, "I'm working on it."
In the meantime Jake still suffers beatings, but he is trying to escape from the horrible Mexican jail with the help of a couple American prisoners. Britt presses Stone for answers about the whereabouts of her fiancee's. "Please help, is there anything I can do," she asks? "I can go down there with you. I am pretty, and the cartel will see me and maybe we can make a deal," she pleads. Of course, that's a "no go" with Stone.
After the relentless requests by the cartel to Stone for more runs, "El Coyote" has had it! It's time to take them down and bring his tortured son home.
Stone makes his move, having a talent for operating and killing quickly. He also incorporates the newest technology, including drones, cameras and tracking devices. One-by-one he takes out his targets. First he takes out the cartels members he's been forced to smuggle into the U.S. Then he follows the cartel members he meets at the pick-up locations and disposes of them. Previously digging several, large graves in the desert and after the kills, he buries and completely conceals them.
With the operation getting more complicated and larger, Stone realizes he needs just a little "extra help." With one call to his "friends" in New York, 8 Bonanno buddies arrive in the desert to help. [Now we have the Soprano feel to this series.] "The Italian Mob against the Mexican Cartel." Who will win? Stone and his buddies take out all the high-ranking members and their "hangers on" with one swift motion - something we don't see very often. This is the Italian way, a combination of guns, explosions, new technology and some old-fashioned shots to the back of the heads.
Stone comes home a silent hero with his first born, "Jax." Throughout his high intensity ordeal, we discover what a huge heart Stone has, exemplified by the love for his family and the way he genuinely cared for his "packages." We will also see a side of Stone best described as a "Tony Soprano." He has a couple of meaningless romantic interludes with females he brings across the border - romantic interludes no one wants to see, yet how Stone handles these women will be integral to the outcome.
The other side of Stone punishes the cartel members by breaking both their spirit and bones for what they are doing to the females, the young and weak on the trail to freedom. Stone kills one cartel member for attempting to rape a young Mexican girl before she crosses the border.
"El Coyote" is a drama at is fullest with lots of action, loads of corruption, sex, love, revenge and politics. It is surprise after surprise with a major, cliff hanger ending to season one.
The series will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. It'll make you want to help Stone; get Jake out of Mexico; fall in love with Britt; want to help Carmen; want to destroy evil doers; discover compassion for the many immigrants stranded routinely in the Arizona desert; and hope for Stone and Sophie to get back together. |