Netflix Has a New No. 1 Thriller With Facing El Chapo

Netflix has a new crime thriller at the top of its charts, and Facing El Chapo reached the No. 1 spot almost immediately after its release. The Mexican action film, based on the real-life capture of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, arrived on the service on Aug. 21 and has quickly become one of its most-watched movies.

According to FlixPatrol data cited in the original report, Facing El Chapo ranked No. 1 among Netflix movies in 71 countries, including the United States, just one day after its release. It was ahead of titles such as Don’t Say Good Luck, The Last House, The Great Wall, and A Child of My Own.

Netflix itself describes the film as a crime drama based on true events, centered on two Mexican officers who must survive the final hours of their shift after crossing paths with a ruthless cartel boss.

Facing El Chapo Turns a Notorious Arrest Into a Thriller

The film, originally titled La captura, focuses on one of the most dramatic chapters in El Chapo’s criminal history: his third and final arrest in 2016.

Alfonso Herrera and Noé Hernández play two Mexican police officers who stop a stolen car during what initially appears to be a routine traffic stop. They soon discover that the people inside are El Chapo and his associate, putting the officers in immediate danger.

After the arrest, the situation becomes even more precarious. The officers have to protect themselves while El Chapo’s associates and assassins attempt to get him back.

The 91-minute film was directed by Chava Cartas, with a screenplay by Bernardo Esquinca based on a chronicle by Héctor de Mauleón. The cast includes Alfonso Herrera, Noé Hernández, Héctor Kotsifakis, Juan Pablo Cruz García, Paola Fernández, Antonio Fortier, Allan Durell, Fernando Cuautle, and Gerardo Trejoluna.

Kotsifakis portrays El Chapo, while Herrera and Hernández play the officers Carmona and Rosales.

At the time of the original report, Facing El Chapo had not yet received a Tomatometer or audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. One audience review gave the movie five stars, praising its story as easy to follow and interesting through to the end.

The film’s early streaming performance, however, has given it a strong start. It was already appearing prominently on Netflix’s trending lists shortly after release, while other streaming data also showed significant viewer interest.

The Real Arrest Behind the Movie

The events depicted in Facing El Chapo are rooted in the long-running pursuit of Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, the notorious leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Authorities had spent years trying to capture Guzmán. His ability to evade law enforcement became particularly notorious after a series of escapes and failed attempts to apprehend him.

In 2015, Mexican authorities raided a ranch where El Chapo was staying, but he managed to get away. The following year, authorities targeted another residence connected to him.

That January 2016 raid produced another extraordinary escape. El Chapo and his associate Jorge Iván Gastélum Ávila, known as El Cholo, fled through a tunnel leading into the sewer system. After emerging from the underground route, the pair attempted to escape in stolen vehicles.

Their flight eventually brought them into contact with two federal highway officers. The officers stopped the stolen car without initially knowing that the men inside were two of Mexico’s most wanted fugitives. The encounter ultimately led to El Chapo’s capture.

That arrest became the basis for the story told in Facing El Chapo, with the film narrowing its focus to the officers who unexpectedly found themselves face-to-face with the cartel leader.

After his capture, Guzmán was returned to prison and later extradited to the United States. In 2019, he was convicted on multiple charges connected to his leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel and sentenced to life imprisonment. He remains incarcerated at ADX Florence in Colorado.

Netflix Is Continuing to Build Its Thriller Lineup

Facing El Chapo is only one of several crime and thriller titles arriving on Netflix this year.

Next up is The Whisper Man, which premieres on Aug. 28. The film stars Robert De Niro, Adam Scott, and Michelle Monaghan and is based on Alex North’s New York Times bestselling novel.

The story follows Tom Kennedy, a widowed crime writer whose 8-year-old son is abducted. Desperate to find him, Tom turns to his estranged father, Peter Willis, a retired detective who previously helped put away a serial killer known as the Whisper Man.

Netflix has also set Animals for Oct. 9. Directed by and starring Ben Affleck, the thriller centers on Los Angeles mayoral candidate Mark Kimball and his wife, Abigail, played by Kerry Washington, after their son is kidnapped.

The couple must find the ransom while dealing with a web of deception and secrets that threatens to tear their lives apart. Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, Adriana Paz, Luis Gerardo Méndez, and Ray Fisher also appear in the cast. Animals is scheduled to arrive on Netflix and in select theaters on Oct. 9.

For now, Facing El Chapo is available to stream on Netflix, where its rapid rise to the top of the movie charts has made it one of the platform’s most notable new thriller releases.