Everything Hollywood gets right and wrong about going undercover, according to a former DEA agent

Undercover agents are pretty much a pop culture staple at this point.

It's no secret as to why. Throwing a character into an undercover assignment is an instant recipe for a story rife with danger, intrigue, and interpersonal drama.

That's why there's such a diverse sprawl of movies that depict undercover agents.

"The Departed" racked up four Oscars as an American remake of "Internal Affairs," depicting competing moles in the Boston mob and state police, respectively. Films like the classic noir "White Heat," crime drama "Donnie Brasco," and surfing thriller "Point Break" depicted undercover agents coming to sympathize with their targets.

"Face/Off" verged into sci-fi territory, while things just got ultra-violent in "Reservoir Dogs." "The Fast and the Furious" started as the tale of a LAPD detective infiltrating a drag, spawning what is now a massive movie franchise. "21 Jump Street" and its sequel put a comedic spin on its source material, an eighties procedural about undercover cops infiltrating a high school.

Business Insider recently spoke with former DEA agent, "Deal" author, and Cipher Brief contributor Mike Vigil about his own experience working as an undercover agent. Vigil worked for the DEA for 31 years and worked on numerous undercover operations against drug traffickers.

Pop culture actually inspired Vigil to pursue law enforcement - he grew up watching shows like "The Untouchables" and "Dragnet."

He revealed four things that Hollywood tends to get wrong about undercover work, along with three things it gets right.