One of the most talked-about documentaries of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Never Get Busted! will make its much-anticipated Australian premiere next month at the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), with a national theatrical release to follow later this year via Pinnacle Films.
Directed by Australia’s David Anthony Ngo and Stephen McCallum, and produced by Erin Williams-Weir and Daniel Joyce, Never Get Busted! is the jaw-dropping, stranger-than-fiction story of Barry Cooper—a former decorated Texas narcotics officer who became one of the most notorious whistleblowers in the War on Drugs.
A bold, provocative, and emotional rollercoaster, the documentary has already earned rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. The Hollywood Times hailed it as “a brash, provocative, and emotionally charged film that doesn’t just tell a story — it detonates one. This isn’t just a documentary. It’s a provocation. A reckoning. And a dare.”
Backed by powerhouse executive producers John Battsek (Searching for Sugarman, Beckham) and Chris Smith (Tiger King, Fyre), the film has been over six years in the making, with production spanning nine U.S. states, Mexico, The Philippines, and Australia.
Through a combination of personal home videos, covert police recordings, dash cam footage, media interviews, and present-day reflections, Never Get Busted! delivers a gripping and layered portrait of a man who’s been on every side of the Drug War—and paid the price for it.
The film pulls audiences deep into Barry’s journey: from undercover busts and covert corruption exposés to Hollywood deals and scenes of cult-like devotion, culminating in a dramatic personal and public unraveling.
With international sales handled by Blue Ant Media, the documentary boasts principal investment from Screen Australia, and support from Ventureland, Library Films, Pinnacle Films, Australian Production House, Sons of Rigor, Rush Films, and the South Australian Film Corporation, with financing also provided by Helium Pictures and Mind The Gap.
