It's pretty rare to find a documentary with the production values of a Hollywood blockbuster. While "White Tide: The Legend of Culebra" didn't cost $200 million to make, its look is outstanding. The opening credits would not be out of place in a James Bond film.
However, what makes it special is everything else about it. The story is bizarre and compelling and the people in it seem like they are fictional because they are so fantastic, especially the two main characters. It's a very serious story told in an extremely humorous way.
The tone is set at the outset when we meet Andy in a tattoo parlor. He is a young, zoned-out druggie and he asks the camera "If you knew where two million dollars was buried in the ground, would you dig the shit up?" Then, after a dramatic pause, he answers that query himself, admitting, "Fuck yeah I would. I did it one time."
The story of what Andy is referring to is revealed through interviews with the main players and re-creations starring the real people who lived them. Normally I find re-creations to be a schlocky thing better confined to bad television shows, but the tactic works beautifully here.
Rodney Hyden is an overweight, middle-aged resident of Archer, Florida. Rodney had a booming construction business before the industry collapsed during the recession of 2008. He was living large with his wife and daughter in a beautiful home. The crash led to a one million dollar debt and they were forced to relocate to a double-wide trailer in a less affluent area and give up their pretty fancy lifestyle.
His new neighbors would get together weekly to drink, smoke pot, and tell stories. One of them, Julian, was an old hippie who spent his life wandering barefoot. He had the best story of all and it grew into mythical proportions. The story was that 15 or 20 years earlier, Julian saw something floating in the water off the beach in Culebra, Puerto Rico. He retrieved it and it turned out to be a bag filled with 70 pounds of cocaine. It threw him into a panic because he was too scared to sell it or to turn it into the corrupt local police force, so he buried it.
Rodney decided it was worth hunting down and selling it even though he knew nothing of how to go about doing it. The rest of the doc is about the hatching of the plan, the attempted execution of the plan, and the results. It is truly an unbelievable tale that is totally believable.
Directed by Theo Love, in his debut, "Culebra" an utter marvel to behold. Parts are scary, parts are absurd, and all of it is handled with a comic touch befitting a far more accomplished director. You will be shocked as to how the story finally unfolds and you won't be able to resist smiling at most of it. It's a great take on ordinary people caught in an extraordinary tale that is totally satisfying. And somehow, it's all true.
| Movie title | White Tide: The Legend of Culebra |
|---|---|
| Release year | |
| MPAA Rating | NR |
| Our rating | |
| Summary | This outstanding documentary is an amazingly fun ride that explores a crime caper set in action by total amateurs. |
