Narcos is an American tv series created by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard and Doug Miro, and directed by José Padilha. The first and second season are fully available from August 28, 2015 on Netflix.
Taking place in Colombia, it fictionalizes the hunt of Pablo Escobar and the whole of the Medellín cartel by the DEA. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is the US federal police agency responsible for the implementation of the law on narcotics and the fight against illicit traffic within the country of the United States against drug abuse.
The real story of Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria is quite exciting and the fact that they created a series about it makes history more entertaining. Far from a simple biopic of Escobar, Narcos traces the fierce struggle of the United States and Colombia against the drug cartel of Medellín, the most lucrative and ruthless organization of modern criminal history. By multiplying points of view (the police, political, judicial or even the staff) the series depicts the cocaine trafficking’s growth and the bloody battle engaged with drug traffickers who control the market with force and ingenuity.
The DEA agents Steve Murphy and Javier Peña actually existed. Boyd Holbrook and Pedro Pascal who interpret them on screen spent a day with the real ones in the DEA training center. They advised the writers on the chronology of events and number of details. they had to transcribe such as lies, corruption, sex, love …all the things that made the web of Escobar’s life.
The director and producer of the series, José Padilha has integrated archive footage in the realization to be closer to the maximum of known facts. We can see Luis Carlos Galán in campaign for the presidential election and favorable to the extradition of drug traffickers to the United States, the survey of countless houses and properties owned by Pablo, a picture of Escobar loading drugs on a Nicaraguan tarmac to the US, or President Ronald Reagan revealing involvement in Nicaragua’s Sandinista drug trafficking. Padilha said « Narcos is not a series about Pablo Escobar, but on cocaine trafficking in general. When cocaine has grown from a small production in Chile to a trade in Colombia, it has crossed the borders and has become a problem for the United States where Escobar took a leading role. He is the main subject in season 1 and 2, but we can step back and leave the Medellin cartel to mention the Cali and the Mexico cartel – the heart of today’s trafic. » The next seasons will focus on the chronological evolution of cocaine trafficking by focusing on other organizations in Colombia and Mexico.
Personally, I loved this series. On the one hand because the historical side is really interesting and on the other because the actors are phenomenal. The scenery and the music that goes with some scenes are really captivating. As surprising as it may be, Pablo seems appealing. Even if he’s qualified as the most dangerous and powerful of the criminals of the time he can really touch us, because he’s got a family and also because he’s simply a human being with fears and feelings.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7elNhHwgBU[/youtube]
That is an amazing choice of subject Jeanne 😉 I am also completely fan of this series. It is so interesting, we learn many things about Colombia’s situation and about drugs traffic. Moreover, after each episode we get more and more attached to Pablo’s character. As you perfectly said, before being a criminal he is a man with feelings. He is really touching because he wants to protect his family against and against all. And season 2 is even better because we see Pablo’s evolution when he is far from his family. We just see a vulnerable man, and not the ruthless killer of the first season.
I think I will have to watch at least a few episodes because you and Alexandra, talked so much about it! I feel a bit lonely since I don’t know what it exactly is…But I trust your tastes, so I’m sure it’s really addictive and well realized 😉
I really have to watch this serie, I have heard a lot about it this summer… There seems to be action, emotion and we probably learn a lot about narcotics! I have to admit that Pablo Escobar’s mustache is a great argument to watch it haha! I’m joking obviously, but I truly want to watch it !