Cartel Land is a pulse-bounding documentary by the young film director Matthew Heineman that tells the story of two vigilante groups on both sides of the Mexican-American border. It has been collecting lots of awards across the world and is one of the most lauded documentaries of 2015. Its up-close action and brutal real-life violence is not for the feint-hearted but is a compelling story about a complicated issue.

As mentioned, the documentary depicts the stories of two men, Tim “Nailer” Foley in America and Dr. José Manuel Mireles in Michoacán, Mexico. Nailer leads a group of Americans called the Arizona Border Recon (ABR) that acts an independent militia patrolling the border areas for drug cartels trafficking and for illegal immigrants. His motley crew is made up of people from a range of backgrounds that all had different motivations for joining ABR, many based on xenophobia or racism. Mireles is a local doctor who organizes a militia group called the “Autodefensas” to give the local people the power to defend themselves from the terrorism that cartel groups like the Knights Templar inflict, who are protected by corrupt government police and military forces. Soon, Mireles has trouble controlling the militias and they begin engaging in illegal activities and the group comes under criticism for acting above the law.

If I had to put this movie in a double feature, I would play the excellent, fictional portrayal of the cartel wars, Sicario, and then this gritty real-life documentary. The risk that the movie director put himself in is palpable and he went to incredible lengths to get some of these shots, putting himself in between gunfights and traveling to the desert in the dead of night to interview meth cooks. He even manages to capture many aesthetically pleasing shots of Mexico and Arizona under considerable duress.

The Heineman telling is also fascinating and it feels like you are watching a screen adaptation of a New Yorker piece. Dr. Mireles is an interesting and nuanced person and you can see him transform as his fame grows. And the film does not shy away from portraying any nuance, in fact I am surprised that he was allowed to film so many of the things that he did. Neither the Autodefensas or the ABR are portrayed in moral absolutes and the director does a good job of listening as opposed to telling (there is no narration overlaying this film). The only complaint I had about the story is that I felt that while the ABR were mildly interesting, I would have rather had the entire film focus on the events in Mexico. Heineman tries to draw parallels between Nailer and Mireles but they mostly fall short.

If you are interested in a documentary about terrifying narco-terrorism and failed states right on America’s border, then I highly recommend this film. It shows incredible scenes and tries to be as balanced and accurate as possible.