Everyone loves a good gritty crime saga, and Narcos makes the cut for being entertaining and dramatic. The director has clearly been inspired by Scorcese, arguably the master of the genre, however the somewhat lackluster acting and simplistic good vs. evil make it feel more like a cold war era action movie than a complex political drama.
The action, the interspersed archival footage and the supporting cast make a passable film. However, I don't like how Pablo Escobar was portrayed as a brooding, sullen character. Part of what made him powerful was charming and gregarious personality. Without that, he wouldn't have been able to gain so many loyal followers ready to die for him. In the show they reduce his influence to blank intimidating stares and cash handouts. Maybe it's just a Hollywood thing though, since I can't think of single movie that actually portrays evil, but powerful people as being affable, save for Scorcese.
Another thing I didn't like was the DEA narrator running his right-wing rhetoric over the show and really tainting it with an almost propaganda feel. This also brings up another troubling aspect to the film. Although the USA's involvement is treated cynically, as was Pablo's "robin hood personality", all the pro-extradition Colombians who fought against Escobar are portrayed in Eliot Ness fashion, incorruptible, good men fighting against the forces of greed and evil.
This Burkean form of conservative views are present throughout the series. Escobar is just seen as a demogogue whipping up the support of the naive poor who later oppresses. M-19 are just intellectuals who "read to much Karl Marx for their own good".
But why were there so many poor people looking for a leader to unite them in the first place? Why were there so many leftist groups in Colombia? Why would some Colombians be mistrustful of the US and see pro-extradition politicians ans their puppets? These questions are completely ignored, leading uneducated viewers to simply believe that the state of things in the show exist in a bubble and have always existed. I don't expect 100% historical accuracy, but There is no mention of "La Violencia", the brutal civil war that took place only a couple decades prior to the events in the show. There's no mention of the right-wing paramilitary death squads that slaughtered labor organizers and civil rights activist for decades, directly supported by the US on behalf for United Fruit.
Without this context, the show is simple right wing propaganda. Escobar is portrayed as a pure villain, the pro-extradition forces are noble heroes. Everyone else is either greedy and corrupted by Escobar and the Narcos, or is a naive poor person or leftist sympathizer.
I guess Netflix needed an answer to Orange is the New Black to satisfy their right-wing audience. Again, it's passable entertainment, but viewers should be aware of the BS their being fed.
The action, the interspersed archival footage and the supporting cast make a passable film. However, I don't like how Pablo Escobar was portrayed as a brooding, sullen character. Part of what made him powerful was charming and gregarious personality. Without that, he wouldn't have been able to gain so many loyal followers ready to die for him. In the show they reduce his influence to blank intimidating stares and cash handouts. Maybe it's just a Hollywood thing though, since I can't think of single movie that actually portrays evil, but powerful people as being affable, save for Scorcese.
Another thing I didn't like was the DEA narrator running his right-wing rhetoric over the show and really tainting it with an almost propaganda feel. This also brings up another troubling aspect to the film. Although the USA's involvement is treated cynically, as was Pablo's "robin hood personality", all the pro-extradition Colombians who fought against Escobar are portrayed in Eliot Ness fashion, incorruptible, good men fighting against the forces of greed and evil.
This Burkean form of conservative views are present throughout the series. Escobar is just seen as a demogogue whipping up the support of the naive poor who later oppresses. M-19 are just intellectuals who "read to much Karl Marx for their own good".
But why were there so many poor people looking for a leader to unite them in the first place? Why were there so many leftist groups in Colombia? Why would some Colombians be mistrustful of the US and see pro-extradition politicians ans their puppets? These questions are completely ignored, leading uneducated viewers to simply believe that the state of things in the show exist in a bubble and have always existed. I don't expect 100% historical accuracy, but There is no mention of "La Violencia", the brutal civil war that took place only a couple decades prior to the events in the show. There's no mention of the right-wing paramilitary death squads that slaughtered labor organizers and civil rights activist for decades, directly supported by the US on behalf for United Fruit.
Without this context, the show is simple right wing propaganda. Escobar is portrayed as a pure villain, the pro-extradition forces are noble heroes. Everyone else is either greedy and corrupted by Escobar and the Narcos, or is a naive poor person or leftist sympathizer.
I guess Netflix needed an answer to Orange is the New Black to satisfy their right-wing audience. Again, it's passable entertainment, but viewers should be aware of the BS their being fed.