10/10
Gripping but requires patience and humour
6 February 2016
This is a l..o..n..g series but one you can't stop watching once you've started. A low by blow, almost day by day account it feels like, of Pablo Escobar's life, his friendships, marriage and family life, his psychopathy, complex narcissistic personality, the sheer brutality of him and his gang. Dismissing massive bombings of suburbs, passenger plane and indiscriminate massacres of thousands of innocent Columbians as a way to fight the government, contrasts with being a man who cries when his murderous friends and gang members are killed by the government forces.

This is the first Colombian film series I've ever watched. You need to get used to its style. Part documentary, part drama, in parts it feels like part-soap, with sentimental segments (when Pablo's gang kills someone important) accompanied by heart-rending music. And a bit of rocky music in minor chords played in every tense scene leading to some action. But despite these quirks, you get used to this and it kinda grows on you.

Oh and the subtitles. Another source of entertainment. Whoever did the subtitles kinda knows how to translate into English. Probably learned in school. They are a constant source of some confusion and a lot of laughter, never being quite on the mark. But again, you get used to it and it all adds to being a fantastic piece of entertainment and education about this brutal part of modern Colombian history.
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