You like crazy stories based on real life? Look no further than the story behind trying to nab the most notorious kingpin of all of all time – Pablo Escobar and his Medellin drug cartel. We follow two Drug Enforcement Agents and the cat and mouse game they play with Escobar. The drug network raised billions of dollars, which was used to persuade the Colombian government and it’s military to allow their activities.
*If you love the movie, “Blow”, I highly recommend this series.
Over the course of Escobar’s reign, at least 4,000 people were killed – due to the conflict between the cartel and drug enforcement agencies. Escobar was volatile and vicious, yet he remained smart enough to outmaneuver any attempts on his life.
This and much, much more is chronicled in the Netflix series, “Narcos”, which just released its 2nd season trailer (see below).
The series stars Wagner Moura (“Elite Squad”, “Elysium”), Pedro Pascal (“Game of Thrones”) and Boyd Holbrook (“Gone Girl”, upcoming “Wolverine” sequel). It was created by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard and Doug Miro. It is also executive produced by Jose Padilha (“Robocop”, “Elite Squad”, “Rio, I Love You”). “Narcos” can be seen on Netflix, with its 2nd season dropping on September 2nd.
It was a Monday afternoon (Labor Day) and I couldn’t possibly be any lazier. Of course, this is the after effects of a longer weekend filled with late night partying. With that said, I took this time to finish binge watching Narcos on Netflix.
Let me just say that there are those that may be turned off from the subtitles but you’d be a fool to pass this show up. I mean, the setting is in Medellin, Columbia so it only makes sense to have it in Spanish. The show is narrated by one of its leads in English so it’s not all in Spanish. It also doesn’t hurt that the show is available in Ultra HD (streaming 4K), so the sweeping landscapes are captured in crisp images and colors.
If you hadn’t already figured, the story focuses on Pablo Escobar’s rise as the world’s most successful criminal and the law enforcement agents (DEA, CIA, Columbian police and military) that try to work to take him down. The sheer amount of violence and drug trafficking that occurred in the 1980s into the early 1990s is absolutely unfathomable. Plus, every side of the law is playing the other. So, as agent Steve Murphy moves from America into Colombia to combat drug traffickers (or as the show labels them – Narcos), he must learn to adapt to a society that is ultimately ran by the Medellin cartel. Murphy even comes to find that sometimes there is a blurry line between good and evil as he and fellow agent, Pena, try to capture the Narcos.
The super talented Wagner Moura (Elite Squad, Elysium) plays Pablo Escobar as a well-intended, egotistical maniac who will stop at nothing in order to accomplish his nefarious goals. He commands the screen and I couldn’t imagine anyone better for this role – sorry, Benicio Del Toro (referring to 2014’s Escobar: Paradise Lost). Boyd Holbrook plays agent Steve Murphy, who, I have to admit, took me some time to warm up to. Most of this was because his character didn’t jump off the screen like the others or his partner, Pena (played by Pedro Pascal – Game of Thrones). It seemed that Murphy was there simply for exposition but he becomes a more interesting character as the show goes on. He is the untested American who is thrust into a world that he thinks he’s ready for.
Outside of the performances, the story is gripping and based on actual events. How Colombia became the cocaine capital of the world is so fascinating – how routes are selected to smuggle drugs, how people are bought, and the politics involved – from both American Intelligence agencies, Ronald Reagan’s crusade against communists and later the drug cartels, and the famous Search Bloc (comprised of three Special Ops units of the National Police of Colombia).
The show may have taken some liberties with actual events, but that doesn’t necessarily take away from it. Look, the pilot episode is slightly intriguing but gets progressively better from there. We end up getting a lot of characters’ backstories so that when the sh*t hits the fan, you feel it on more fronts. If I had to liken the show to anything, I’d point to the movie Blow and its exploration of how cocaine created empires.
Moreover, the show is just so damn cool. All of these Narcos make even the most notorious criminals in American history look like nothing. I’m not trying to idolize the criminals (mainly the Drug Lords) but you can’t help but get caught up in their exuberant worlds/lifestyles. If anyone gets in their way, they just make sure they go after who is responsible and set an example for anyone else daring to step on their toes. Even the set design and costumes need praise. A lot of the characters in the show have moustaches. They look so cool that even I want to now grow one. Was Colombia really that moustache prone in the late 1980s? The musical guitar riffs also add a nice touch to the series. The music, though subtle, seems to cloud Colombia as a complex country that holds a mystery that everyone is looking to solve. Perhaps I’m reading into that too much?
Anyways, a second season has already been ordered and I cannot wait. Netflix tailors all of their original content for binge viewing. I honestly believe that Narcos is another winner to put up beside their other uber successful shows – House of Cards and Orange is the New Black.
The show was created by Chris Brancato and some of the episodes were directed by Jose Padilha (Elite Squad). The show stars Wagner Moura, Boyd Holbrook, Pedro Pascal, Maurice Compte, and Joanna Christie.
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