Documentary backdrop image for Mexico's Bravest Man (2016)

Documentary backdrop image for Mexico's Bravest Man (2016)

201685 minPG-13documentary

Mexico's Bravest Man

201685 minPG-13documentary

Murder rates in Tijuana and Juarez dropped after Julian Leyzaola Perez, a former military officer, declared war on local drug cartels.

Genres

Director

Synopsis

Murder rates in Tijuana and Juarez dropped after Julian Leyzaola Perez, a former military officer, declared war on local drug cartels.

People

Charlie Minndirector

Adriana Allendecast

Jesus Antonio Castaneda Alvarezcast

Edward Benavidescast

Howard Campbellcast

Synopsis

Julian Leyzaola Perez, a former military officer, became police chief in Tijuana and Juarez, Mexico. He declared war on the drug cartels in both cities. Under his leadership, murder rates fell. However, his aggressive tactics led to accusations of human rights abuses by his police force. The film questions Leyzaola's loyalties and whether a police chief can maintain integrity in a system rife with political corruption. It runs for 85 minutes and was released in 2016.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

Mexico: War of the drug cartels (2025)

Mexico: War of the drug cartels

According to a 2023 study, up to 185,000 people work directly or indirectly in the Mexican drug trade, which could account for 2% of the country's GDP.

Mexico: War of the drug cartels

The Deadliest City in Mexico (2024)

The Deadliest City in Mexico

Tijuana, Mexico, faces 7 murders a day, highlighting its status as the Deadliest City.

The Deadliest City in Mexico

The Most Violent City in the World? (2022)

The Most Violent City in the World?

Conservative estimates indicate that as many as 70,000 people have been killed in Mexico's ongoing cartel violence over the last seven years.

The Most Violent City in the World?

Journalists in Mexico Fear Cartels - And Facebook (2022)

Journalists in Mexico Fear Cartels - And Facebook

Jesus Aguilar covers crime in Tijuana, facing dangers from cartels and violence.

Journalists in Mexico Fear Cartels - And Facebook

World’s Most Feared Cartel War | Mexico: Enter at Your Own Risk (2025)

World’s Most Feared Cartel War | Mexico: Enter at Your Own Risk

In Michoacán and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico's drug war reveals the violent realities faced by communities, including extortion in the avocado trade and vigilantism against cartels.

World’s Most Feared Cartel War | Mexico: Enter at Your Own Risk

Mexico: Locked Up Without Trial (2024)

Mexico: Locked Up Without Trial

In Mexico, nearly ninety thousand individuals are imprisoned without trial due to mandatory pre-trial detention policies amid the ongoing war on drugs.

Mexico: Locked Up Without Trial

Mexico's Femicide Crisis (2019)

Mexico's Femicide Crisis

Almost 400 women have been raped, tortured, and murdered in Ciudad Juarez, creating a chilling atmosphere known as the City of Lost Girls.

Mexico's Femicide Crisis

Mexico: Drug Cartel Wars (2025)

Mexico: Drug Cartel Wars

Mexico's ongoing battle against drug cartels has resulted in over 450,000 deaths and 125,000 displacements since 2006, highlighting a national crisis of violence and corruption.

Mexico: Drug Cartel Wars

Drug Traffickers, Rapists & Cartel Killers In Mexico's Toughest Prison | Witness (2025)

Drug Traffickers, Rapists & Cartel Killers In Mexico's Toughest Prison | Witness

La Mesa, a notorious Mexican prison, houses violent offenders like cartel killer Francisco Javier Villa Padilla and American inmate Taylor Elliott Howard under strict control.

Drug Traffickers, Rapists & Cartel Killers In Mexico's Toughest Prison | Witness

Explore Mexico's Bravest Man

People FAQ Stream

Browse more like this

Mexico: War of the drug cartels (2025)

Mexico: War of the drug cartels

According to a 2023 study, up to 185,000 people work directly or indirectly in the Mexican drug trade, which could account for 2% of the country's GDP.

Mexico: War of the drug cartels

No digital watch option in your country

The Most Violent City in the World? (2022)

The Most Violent City in the World?

Conservative estimates indicate that as many as 70,000 people have been killed in Mexico's ongoing cartel violence over the last seven years.

The Most Violent City in the World?

No digital watch option in your country

World’s Most Feared Cartel War | Mexico: Enter at Your Own Risk (2025)

World’s Most Feared Cartel War | Mexico: Enter at Your Own Risk

In Michoacán and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico's drug war reveals the violent realities faced by communities, including extortion in the avocado trade and vigilantism against cartels.

World’s Most Feared Cartel War | Mexico: Enter at Your Own Risk

No digital watch option in your country

Mexico: Drug Cartel Wars (2025)

Mexico: Drug Cartel Wars

Mexico's ongoing battle against drug cartels has resulted in over 450,000 deaths and 125,000 displacements since 2006, highlighting a national crisis of violence and corruption.

Mexico: Drug Cartel Wars

No digital watch option in your country

Drug Traffickers, Rapists & Cartel Killers In Mexico's Toughest Prison | Witness (2025)

Drug Traffickers, Rapists & Cartel Killers In Mexico's Toughest Prison | Witness

La Mesa, a notorious Mexican prison, houses violent offenders like cartel killer Francisco Javier Villa Padilla and American inmate Taylor Elliott Howard under strict control.

Drug Traffickers, Rapists & Cartel Killers In Mexico's Toughest Prison | Witness

No digital watch option in your country

The Mayor (2012)

The Mayor

2012•1h21m•★6.4TMDB

Mauricio Fernandez, mayor of the wealthiest municipality in Latin America, claims to take justice into his own hands against drug cartels.

In Broad Daylight: The Narvarte Case (2022)

In Broad Daylight: The Narvarte Case

2022•1h48m•★8.0TMDB

Five individuals were murdered in the Narvarte neighborhood of Mexico City in 2015, leading to a controversial investigation into law enforcement corruption.

In Broad Daylight: The Narvarte Case

Guerrero (2017)

Guerrero

2017•1h50m•★6.9TMDB

Three activists in Guerrero, México, confront impunity, risking their lives in a struggle against the influence of illegal drugs.

Luchadoras (2021)

Luchadoras

2021•1h33m•★10.0TMDB

Ciudad Juárez has one of the highest murder rates for women in the world, yet female wrestlers there fight against violence and societal norms in their daily lives.

American Cartel (2021)

American Cartel

2021•44m•★6.4TMDB

A manhunt in 2003 for the murderer of police officer Matthew Pavelka reveals connections between a local gang and the Sinaloa Cartel.

American Cartel

Kingdom of Shadows (2015)

Kingdom of Shadows

2015•1h15m•★6.0TMDB

Over 23,000 people have disappeared in Mexico due to the ongoing U.S.-Mexico drug war, revealing a significant human rights crisis.

Kingdom of Shadows

The New Juarez (2012)

The New Juarez

2012•1h21m•★4.0TMDB

After six years of hyperviolence, Ciudad Juarez faces a controversial police chief and a new national president as it attempts to recover.

Devil’s Freedom (2017)

Devil’s Freedom

2017•1h14m•★7.3TMDB

In Mexico's most dangerous cities, the intertwining lives of victims and perpetrators reveal the pervasive influence of fear on society's psyche.

Devil’s Freedom

Oblatos, Epic Flight into the Night (2019)

Oblatos, Epic Flight into the Night

2019•1h52m•★9.5TMDB

On January 22, 1976, Waymas and Tony executed a coordinated military operation to escape from prison while resisting an oppressive regime in Mexico.

Oblatos, Epic Flight into the Night

Bajo Juárez: The City Devouring Its Daughters (2006)

Bajo Juárez: The City Devouring Its Daughters

2006•1h36m•★7.0TMDB

In Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, a series of sexual assaults and murders of women reveals deep-seated corruption within local and national authorities.

Bajo Juárez: The City Devouring Its Daughters

Browse more by Charlie Minn

View all films →

The New Juarez (2012)

The New Juarez

2012

43 (2015)

43

2015

Murder Capital of the World (2024)

Murder Capital of the World

2024

49 Pulses (2017)

49 Pulses

2017

915: Hunting Hispanics (2021)

915: Hunting Hispanics

2021

The Kids of Santa Fe: The Largest Unknown Mass Shooting (2021)

The Kids of Santa Fe: The Largest Unknown Mass Shooting

2021

Parkland: Inside Building 12 (2018)

Parkland: Inside Building 12

2018

Concert Crush: The Travis Scott Festival Tragedy (2022)

Concert Crush: The Travis Scott Festival Tragedy

2022

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →