Introduction
With the hour reaching 100 minutes, the Private Network sets out to discover who killed this man and why. Over the course of the work, we learn more about who Manuel is and what makes him such a prolific journalist.
After some early career highlights, the documentary centers around Buendia's more detailed investigations into the drug trade, the Mexican Mafia and the CIA.
Storyline
The focus here is on Buendia's time writing for Red Privada (Private Network), where he was vilified for controversial articles, including one looking at organized crime. Buendia was certainly no stranger to death threats, and he was known to carry a handgun at all times.
The death itself is thoroughly investigated and eventually there are those convicted of his murder. But is that the end? Well, if the interviews at the end of this are anything to go by, it's still an open case as to whether or not the right people were caught.
Archival Footage
As expected, there are various archival photos and newspaper clippings throughout the film. Between each major scene in this film, there are also a series of face-to-face interviews with the unique but thematic setup of using typewriter keys. This makes sense given Buendia's writing, which emphasizes creating text as the documentary follows the journalist's life. It's a small touch, but it's certainly nice.
A stylistic element that is a bit more subjective comes from the background music. Personally, the string segments and the selection of different instruments (including a harp at one point) feel tonally jarring against some of the more percussive material. In fact, it feels really distracting at times.
Still, true-crime fans should find plenty to like here, and while it's not as flashy or engaging as some of the other crimes Heist has to offer today, there's plenty to like.