“Plata o plomo.” Silver or lead — Pablo Escobar’s deadly ultimatum to his enemies in the new Netflix show “Narcos.” The series follows Escobar’s (Wagner Moura) climb from a smuggler of cigarettes and other contraband items into Colombia, to the leader of the Medellin drug cartel that, at its height, brought in more than $60 million a day and spread beyond Miami, reaching as far as Asia. “Narcos” follows Escobar from the viewpoint of DEA agent Steve Murphy (Boyd Holbrook) who is stationed in Bogota, Columbia.
“Narcos” producer and Brazilian filmmaker José Padilha provided incredible direction, which is reflected in the show’s captivating nature. It is narrated through the voiceover of agent Steve Murphy and punctuated with quick-paced character dialogue. Scenes between the members of the drug cartel are left in Spanish, heightening the show’s authenticity. Moura’s portrayal of Escobar is captivating, as he perfects the character’s waddle-like movement, powerful personality and threatening stare.
At its heart, “Narcos” is the study not only of Escobar’s steady rise to power, but also of Escobar himself. In one scene, Escobar orders one of his men to kill someone who might know too much, and in the next, Escobar is holding his baby daughter and playing soccer with his son. Both his borderline sociopathic nature and naive conception of political power are enthralling.
“Magical realism is defined as what happens when a highly detailed, realistic setting is invaded by something too strange to believe … There is a reason magical realism was born in Colombia.” This quote marks the series’ beginning, and it is clear Escobar’s hopes for one day becoming President of Colombia were too strange to believe. The show presents these dreams in a way which is not demeaning towards Escobar, but instead adds dimension to a man who could easily be played off as a violent drug lord who lacks character depth.
One of the great voiceover moments is when Agent Murphy tells the audience to "imagine you were born in a poor family, in a poor city, in a poor country and by the time you were 28 years old, you have so much money you can’t even count it. What do you do? You make your dreams come true." Here is the central point of the series: Escobar had all the money in the world, but his dreams were still too grand to become a reality.
Pedro Pascal, previously featured on “Game of Thrones,” who plays Steve Murphy’s partner, Javier Pena’s (Pedro Pascal) performance also helps to propel the series into the success it has become, including the comedic relief he provides. “Narcos” started streaming on Netflix in late August 2015 and has been renewed for a second season.
Get ready to learn just how normal evil can look on a person — hope you don’t mind a little blood.
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