Facing El Chapo (La Captura) is a Mexican Spanish-language crime-action thriller about two federal officers who face Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán after a raid. It stars Alfonso Herrera, Noé Hernández and Hector Kotsifakis, runs 91 minutes, streams only on Netflix, and holds about a 78% audience score.
The story stays with the officers rather than building a cartel biography. It centers on Guzmán's Jan. 8, 2016 recapture in Los Mochis after his July 2015 prison escape.
Table of Contents
- What is the true story behind the plot?
- Who stars in it and who made it?
- How long is it and where can you watch it?
- How did it perform with critics and viewers?
What is the true story behind the plot?
High On Films reports that two federal police officers make a routine stop of a stolen vehicle. The stop puts them face-to-face with Sinaloa leader Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán after he flees a military raid, as detailed in the High On Films true-story breakdown. High On Films places the drama around the Jan.
8, 2016 recapture in Los Mochis, Sinaloa. It follows Guzmán's July 2015 prison escape. The film tells events from the officers' view, not as a cartel biography.
Who stars in it and who made it?
MovieWeb lists Alfonso Herrera and Noé Hernández as the two officers. Hector Kotsifakis plays El Chapo.
MovieWeb credits Chava Cartas as director. Bernardo Esquinca and Héctor de Mauleón wrote the script.
How long is it and where can you watch it?
ScreenRant reports a 91-minute runtime for the Mexican Spanish-language crime-action thriller. It premiered globally on Netflix on Aug.
21, 2026, according to the ScreenRant streaming report. CBR notes the film streams exclusively on Netflix with a subscription. Non-subscribers must subscribe before searching for the title.
- Subscribe to Netflix if you do not have access.
- Search "Facing El Chapo" or "La Captura."
- Choose Spanish audio with subtitles or dubbing.
- Allow 91 minutes for the full watch.
How did it perform with critics and viewers?
MovieWeb, citing Netflix Tudum weekly data, reports about 18 million views in the first week. It ranked No. 1 globally among non-English movies and finished ahead of that week's No. 1 English movie.
MovieWeb reported that it first had no Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer because fewer than seven recognized critics reviewed it. That left no critical consensus despite worldwide No. 1 status. MovieWeb later reported about a 78% Rotten Tomatoes user score in the MovieWeb October Tudum update, which signals generally positive viewers with no critics' score for comparison.