The opening scene of the Netflix original Narcos describes
it as ‘magic realism’; a real story told magically or a magic story told in a
real way. And that it is.
The series, fictionalised but grounded in real events,
documents the larger-than-life story of the rise and fall of drug lord Pablo
Escobar and the Defence Enforcement Administration’s futile efforts to catch him
and the infamous Medellín cartel.
The so-called “King of Cocaine” demands your attention from
the get-go as he flaunts his lavish lifestyle of wealth, women, drugs and the
more than occasional mass murder. Switch your attention for a minute and you’re
lost. With more plot strands than I care to count this series demands nothing but your full
attention.
Narcos, the colloquial term for drug dealers, intertwines
real archival footage with the drama of the show, giving it an authentic almost
documentary feel. The use of English subtitles over spoken Spanish only adds to
the intensity of the show.
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| The infamous Pablo Escobar's life is portrayed in this Netflix original |
The show is narrated through the words of DEA agent Steve Murphy,
played brilliantly by Boyd Holbrook, but it also manages to show the other side
of the drug war through the eyes of Escobar.
Behind the cocaine-fuelled gun shots and violent outbursts is
an astonishingly good performance from the main man himself, Wagner Moura, portraying Pablo Escobar.
The Brazilian actor is mesmerising in his role as the all controlling, all powerful drug lord demanding loyalty and, in most cases this
means life or death, from his fellow drug traffickers. Yet he is capable, at
times, of showing love and affection towards his wife, his mother and his
children. This split personality is unnerving for the viewer as we wonder what
his unpredictable mood is capable of next.
For the squeamish people out there Narcos does not shy away
from violence and when it comes it comes in short, quick and gruesome
outbursts leaving little to the imagination of the audience. There were times
when I had to cover my eyes to avoid the graphic bloodied images caused by
Pablo’s destruction.
In essence Narcos follows the typical good guys versus bad
guys stereotype but, with more twists than a windy old Irish boreen, there are
times when the viewer questions how good the good guys are and whether they
have crossed a line in search of the bad guys.
Narcos succeeds in keeping the viewer on the edge of their seat; eagerly
waiting to click ‘next episode’ to see where this real-life story will take
you next. Like the drugs they flaunt throughout the show, Narcos is nothing
short of addictive.
