What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedEl Infierno
Luis Estrada · Film · 2010
If you loved El Infierno, start with La Reina del Sur (Roberto Stopello, 2011) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to El Infierno across media.
You were drawn to El Infierno by its unflinching exploration of how systemic corruption forces ordinary individuals into impossible moral compromises.
Books on the same thread
Inferno
Dan Brown · Book · 2013
Explores: Dante Alighieri, Global Pandemic, Overpopulation.
While the setting differs, you will recognize the same high-stakes tension found in El Infierno as the narrative forces its characters to confront devastating consequences for their survival.
All the Pretty Horses
Cormac McCarthy · Book · 2010
Explores: loss of innocence, masculinity, the American West.
Much like the protagonist in El Infierno, the characters here navigate a harsh landscape where the loss of innocence and the struggle for survival define their grim reality.
The Inferno of Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri · Book · 2019
Explores: Divine Justice, Sin and Redemption, The Afterlife.
If you appreciated the cynical social commentary in El Infierno, this foundational text offers the ultimate exploration of corruption, justice, and the descent into a personal or societal hell.
The Hell Screen and Other Stories
Ryunosuke Akutagawa · Book · 1918
Shares a thread with El Infierno: Moral Ambiguity.
The claustrophobic and corrupt environment of this prison drama echoes the entrapment felt by the main character in El Infierno, where survival requires constant, dangerous moral navigation.
Series on the same thread
La Reina del Sur
Roberto Stopello · Series · 2011
Shares a thread with El Infierno: Survival.
You will find a thematic successor to El Infierno here, as it tracks a similar desperate rise to power within the dangerous, corrupt world of international drug trafficking.
Narcos: Mexico
Doug Miro · Series · 2018
Shares a thread with El Infierno: Corruption.
This series captures the same systemic rot depicted in El Infierno, detailing how the brutal mechanics of the drug trade corrupt every level of society and government involvement.
Narcos
Chris Brancato · Series · 2015
Shares 2 threads with El Infierno: Corruption, Moral Ambiguity.
If the gritty portrayal of power dynamics in El Infierno resonated with you, this chronicle of cartel violence offers a similarly visceral look at the war on drugs.
El marginal
Sebastián Ortega · Series · 2016
Shares 2 threads with El Infierno: Corruption, Survival.
If El Infierno hit, El marginal shares the thread.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell
Podcast
Explores: Drug Trafficking, War on Drugs, Prison Life.
This podcast provides a real-world perspective on the same themes of drug trafficking and survival that drove the narrative arc of the characters in El Infierno.
Hell in Heaven: A Mysterious Death in Paradise
Podcast
Explores: Paranoia, Expatriation, Wealth and Corruption.
The transition from a dream of paradise to a literal hell mirrors the journey in El Infierno, emphasizing how corruption and paranoia can dismantle a person's life.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is El Infierno based on a true story or a book?
El Infierno is a 2010 film directed by Luis Estrada. It is an original cinematic work and not an adaptation of a book or a specific true story, focusing on the fictionalized struggle of a man joining a drug cartel after his deportation.
What is the premise of El Infierno?
The plot of El Infierno follows a man who is deported back to Mexico. Upon his return, he finds his hometown corrupted by a vicious drug cartel and is forced to join the organization in order to survive the dangerous environment.
Is El Infierno a standalone film?
Yes, El Infierno is a standalone 2010 film directed by Luis Estrada. There are no other versions, literary adaptations, or sequels connected to this specific production in the current catalog, making it a self-contained story about a man caught in a cartel.
How does the protagonist end up in a cartel in El Infierno?
In El Infierno, the protagonist is deported back to Mexico. Once he arrives in his hometown, he finds it completely corrupted by a drug cartel. He has no other viable options for survival, which forces him to join the criminal organization.