Show Cover

Plata o plomo.

# Review

I recently have been listening to the Real Narcos podcast and decided to re-watch Narcos with my girlfriend. The show follows the rise of Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura) from a low-level smuggler to an international drug trafficking kingpin, as well as the efforts of the DEA to dismantle his criminal empire.

On one hand, Pablo loved his family dearly and also presented himself as a charismatic Robin Hood-like figure to the most impoverished parts of Medellín, but at the same time, he was a ruthless crime lord who used violence and terrorism to achieve his goals. Moura's Escobar really humanizes the character and is incredibly nuanced in showing both faces of the man. The main DEA agents, Murphy (Boyd Holbrook) and Peña (Pedro Pascal), also received some decent character development. The supporting cast, which includes Pablo's lieutenants like Gustavo (Juan Pablo Raba), Gacha (Luis Guzmán), and his various sicarios, are nowhere as nuanced or thorough in character development as Moura's Escobar nor the two main DEA agents, but were still entertaining. I also enjoyed the portrayal of real-life Colombian figures such as Raúl Méndez's César Gaviria which were very close in appearance to their real-life counterparts. The theme song by Rodrigo Amarante is also incredibly catchy.

# Conclusion

A well-made crime show about the rise of one of the world's most notorious drug lords.

# Overall rating: 8.2

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