User reviews

This is my first review and please forgive my errors in writing, as English is not my native language and also my critical mind. This was just sad for me, as a Romanian, because the story with the submarine was a satire to all the other things that could be sold to the higher bidder in the Eastern Block after the collapse of the USSR or after the fall of comunism earlier in '89, here in Romania. The situation was critical on all aspects. The inflation was booming and with a paycheck of one month, you could buy an apartment, a car, a small factory and so on. The factories, all the industries were sold to the "smart boys" and in a matter of years, we were left with nothing. All the comunist era bosses were getting richer and richer, while the rest of the country was collapsing under poverty. So, this documentary was just a perfect metaphor for all the other countries ex-comunist, which practiced this thing. Every good that country had, was an esset ready to be sold. Of course, those things were known only by those who were part of that system; the common folk didn't knew this kind of stuff. As a country, Romania suffer after those lost things even after 30 years of freedom.

It is nearly like a movie except it's real life. Filmed an unbelievable story with great pace and style. Hugely entertaining and even thought,there maybe some poetic license from some of the interviewees it is great 90minutes of watching fast talkingcromjnals tell an unbelievable story.

This documentary felt like it was literally on cocaine - which given the subject matter was kind of fitting. This story is insane. It somehow makes the likes of "Wolf of Wall Street", "American Made" and "War Dogs" all seem a little mundane in comparison.

Who knows how much of all this was actually as true as said, but it makes for an amazingly wild ride nonetheless. You can't help but root for the guys success in a way - which may conflict some viewers. I found it hard not to admire their ingenuity at times and sheer brazenness.

It also provided numerous laughs throughout. And Vanilla Ice.

Imagine every player (criminal organisation and law enforcement agency) in every crime film you have ever seen - then combine the whole lot together, slap a true story on it and you get "Operation Odessa".

Best documentary I have seen in a while.

Everyone has a story about the narcos nowadays. Operation Odessa follows the rule and tells us the story about drugs, luxury cars and everything that goes with it. The story might be true, it is hard to corroborate every detail but we can have some serious doubts by the way it is told. Mostly interviews and some photographic illustrations that look like they have been taken from Google Images. It is entertaining but is it really a documentary or just a movie?

I have never ever had this much fun with a documentary in my entire life. This has to be some of the best stuff I have ever seen! Hook me up with Tarzan please, man what a guy haha!

This documentary is better than a movie. If you like mafia stuff, this is very entertaining!

Probably most of the stories are bull, but that does not make them any less entertaining. The better part is to see the governmental thugs how they can have virtually unlimited resources to live like mobsters to protect the World from small time opportunists who don't pay the cigarette tax.

So the surprise watching this feature-length documentary on the infamous "Cali Cartel buys a Russian submarine" case is how funny parts of the almost cartoon-gangster tale truly were/are. A few sample lines include: "You had to be a really bad DEA agent not to bust somebody for coke back then in Miami" and "Tarzan was always the first guy to take all his clothes off and be standing there with that big gut hanging out...." So some documentaries are interesting for the secrets revealed and the things you can learn about people that you'll probably never actually get to meet. But "Operation Odessa" is just entertaining in telling its tail of almost comical cops and robbers. Recommended (7/10)

This "documentary" is like listening to three old men in a bar telling some crazy story, probably very embellished, about some stupid stunt involving the corrupt ex soviet military and some cartel guys. The director keeps showing images of Venezuela everytime they mention Colombia (?) . So take this for what it is, cheap and lazy entertainment with no real historical value and pretty exaggerated stories told by three losers. I give it three stars just because Tarzan is kind of funny.

Extremely funny characters telling truth stories about their adventures in the 1990s. The stories they tell are so unbelievable yet so true and they are told in a manner where you burst in laughter time to time. Their lives feel like a movie. But overall extremely well shot and told documentary. Would reccomend to anyone. Loved it!

If the events documented here were a fictional novel I would say it's a hell of story but ultimately not believable. Truth really is stranger than fiction.

The 90's oh my god, count how 3 people did what they wanted in Miami and Moscow in the 90's. What's more, they ended up as they wanted ...

If you like things like cocaine cowboys you will love this

Basically shows how easy it was for peeps in the 90s to get over there heads to make money! Great entertainment with a laughs!

One of the best documentaries I've ever seen. It pulls you in from the get go and even though you know you *should have pure disdain for the bad guys, you almost feel guilty for actually liking them.

I appear to be in a very tiny minority of people who disliked this. My problem was with the three main protagonists. They were vile. I think I would have to travel very far to find three men who turned my stomach more than they did. At the end, my main questions were did the wife and children, plus the taxi driver and his passenger survive? No mention of what happened to them.

I was so surprised to see that this film only received 7.7 of 10 stars. It couldn't have been a more entertaining documentary in my opinion. If this were to be made into a movie, which I know it will... the talent scout would be hard pressed to find 3 individuals with more personality to play these roles better than the actual real life characters. Absolutely hilarious. Total criminal degenerates, but hilarious!

No movie about this adventure would ever have been made because the truth is crazier than fiction. A cast of characters somewhere between crafty and complete misfits that cause you to genuinely like them.

The story contains some loose ends and the storytelling could definitely have been tighter, but this is an incredibly enjoyable and educational ride.

Provides a real window into the wild, wild worlds of Miami, Russia and the seemingly ubiquitous role of cocaine in the 80's and early 90's.

One of the best documentaries I ever seen, I actually saw it 3 times in 3 days. Right after Tarzan went to jail in late 90's, I started dating his former "girlfriend", she is actually from my home country which I like to keep a secret, so we had many things in common. She confessed about Tarzan after we dated 2 weeks, but she assured me that he is in jail because I freaked out a bit when I heard it the first time, as they were still in touch. She told me the story in this documentary about him, his friends, and the Submarine story. When I found the documentary last week, I couldn't believe my eyes, and it turned out to be a really amazing story! We only dated a few months and than lost touch as she left town and I never saw her again.

Only in Florida could the Russian Mob, Russian military, New York Mob, South American Cartels, The CIA , DEA , FBI. and three charming, funny, charismatic. low life scumbags come together to try to broker/prevent a weapons deal that could truly change drug dealing forever. It is a fun-filled documentary that will make you laugh and terrify you with its historical perspective of what can happen.