An Unknown Enemy

An Unknown Enemy explores the origins of the Mexican dirty war of the 1960s, and portrays the attempts of Fernando Barrientos, head of the "NSD" secret police, to ensure a grip on political power, as the country goes through a series of social turmoils, in part provoked by the agency he is directing. All happening in the frame of the Cold War, the 1960s youth counterculture, the preparations of 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico and the upcoming 1970 Mexican general election.

The series received mostly mixed reviews.[9] Although some praised it for its cinematography, others deeply criticised its portrayal of the student protests by "over-simplyfying" the events of 1968, "focusing too much on the government conspiracy"[9] and putting forth a notion of a deep state in Mexico, distorting how the events unfolded, making it ultimately PRI propaganda.[10]

The series is produced by filmmaker Gabriel Ripstein,[11] who is also one of its executive producers and writers, and is starring award winner actor Daniel Giménez Cacho as Fernando Barrientos.[12] It also stars:

• Antonio de la Vega as Interior Minister Luis Echeverría[13]
• Fernando Becerril as Mexico City Mayor Alfonso Corona del Rosal[14]
• Hernán Del Riego as Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz[15]
• Karina Gidi as Mrs. Esperanza Barrientos[16]
• Kristyan Ferrer as Beto a shady student leader[17]
• Andrés Delgado as David an important activist leader,[18] loosely based in the renowned journalist and writer Luis González de Alba.[19]
• Irene Azuela as Elena, Commander Barrientos' assistant, right hand and secret lover.[20]

• Rojo Amanecer (Award-winning 1989 Mexican film focusing on the same subject, from the perspective of the repressed students)
• Winston M. Scott (CIA chief depicted in the series)[21]
• CIA cryptonym (The main character was part of the CIA's LITEMPO Spy network)

• Official website