Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal

Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal is an ambitious and largely successful undertaking to portray the man who held the country of Colombia in his tyrannical grip (by the proverbial cojones) for more than a decade. The epic series (73 episodes on Netflix) details the damage and heartbreak this man left in his wake. The story of Pablo Escobar is nothing if not unbelievable, and this expansive production manages to explain the seemingly inexplicable, how a single person could essentially take over a country, corrupting countless individuals through the imposition of a ruthless ¨plata o plomo¨ (money or bullets) ultimatum at every stratum of his society.

The series is not perfect--the jarringly repetitive music riffs preceding every single pursuit scene, the sometimes bizarrely abrupt casting changes from one episode to another (the radical transformations of the wife, Paty, and the son, Emilio, were especially puzzling), and the excessive, overwrought sentimentality in the aftermath of some of the atrocities can all be criticized with good reason.

That said, the overall production is a success because the acting is very, very good, and the writers and director accomplished what they set out to do: to tell a story which needed to be told, and to do so convincingly, complete with historical film clips inserted where available to document that this is not a tale of fantasy. The series was so gripping that I watched six episodes a night continuously until I finished, exhausted by the ordeal.

I was especially impressed by the ability of the lead actor (Andrés Parra) to portray how it was that Escobar was both loved and feared to such an extent. His rise, fall and ultimate unraveling were very well paced, and the acting was perfect. Other standout performances were those of El Chile, El Topo, Fabio, Marino, Pedro Motoa, El Mariachi, Marcos Herbert, Gonzalo, Cain, Kiki... the list goes on and on.

I highly recommend this series to anyone with an interest in the history of Colombia, the cocaine trade, or organized crime more generally. All of the dialogue is in very clearly articulated Spanish, so it is linguistically worthwhile for anyone who speaks Spanish as a second language. (There are subtitles in various languages, too, so the production is accessible to non-Spanish speakers as well.) Anyone who is interested in the nature of corruption should not miss this series.

Superb. I haven't enjoyed a TV show this much since Breaking Bad. If you speak Spanish, you will enjoy Colombian from different provinces which is a delight. Escobar role is phenomenal. The sicarios are so believable and scary but hilarious at the same time! Angie Cepeda is a bonus. She is so hot is not even funny (or it may be I can't get the image of her naked in "Pantaleon y sus visitadoras".

If I have to criticize something: 50 episodes would have been more than enough.

Another great thing about this series is that you get to see a lot of Colombia. Especially Medellin and Bogota and the beautiful Colombians which are a pleasure to listen to. Spanish is my native tongue (I am Argentinean) and I believe Colombians have the most beautiful and richest Spanish. .

Amazing! I highly recommend it.

I really didn't expect this series to be as good as it is. It was one of those shows you find on Netflix hoping to like but fully expecting to turn off ten minutes in. I was thoroughly surprised to enjoy it as much as I did and found myself sinking into the deepest of binge holes. From what I understand this show was made in Colombia and created by individuals who's lives were personally impacted by Pablo Escobar. Because of that they must have felt a responsibility to make it true to life while trying to represent their country in the storytelling. This show has heart. There are times when it seems a little melancholy after something awful happens but these terrible things happened to them and they deeply traumatized the country. As an American I see this in anything that portrays the terrorist attacks of 9/11 so as a viewer I understand they're trying to reflect the sorrow the nation felt. The acting is just excellent. After the first episode they switch some characters around and at first that bumped me but after seeing more I can't imagine the story being told with any other actors. I don't imagine they had a huge budget and some of the explosions aren't shown but the production value is tremendous. On par with most current television shows. If you are fascinated with the Pablo Escobar story and wish to get an angle that isn't quite as glossy or glamorized then check this out. There are enough episodes to scratch that itch while telling a complete story that never gets old or feels tiresome.

It is a great series! Love the casting. All the actors have done a great job! El Chili grows up on you- my favourite!

While the production seems a bit cheezie on some levels (the seventies teevee serials music for example) it is easy to learn to ignore that and get sucked in hard with the exceptional acting and real-life drama.

The complexity of the criminal characters in this drama illustrate how easy it is for people to trust and become loyal to such psychopaths in real life.

The portrayal of Pablo -- an average looking and in mid-life overweight man who does not fit into any of the stereotypical movie portrayals of the gangster/bad guy is honest and fantastic. Same with the actors who portray his wife and others -- one reviewer commented that his wife could have more attractive for the show. C'mon! She was average, just like all the rest. Its when actresses and actors are chosen for their looks that exceed that of any people in real life that a show or movie becomes unbelievable and bad.

The cold, calculated way in which Pablo uses others to do his dirty work most of the time, and how its not for sadistic pleasure but more for simply power and like a any narcissistic psychopath, people are just to be used and disposed of when in the way - save for his family and yet he controls everyone, even his family tightly and masterfully because that is the all encompassing focus of a typical narcissistic psychopath.

The show is well done and binge watching should be expected as it is nearly impossible to predict what will happen next as none of this follows a writer's script, but instead, the intense and irrational machinations of a madman and his lackeys.

No doubt Columbia is still recovering from the near complete hijacking of their country and the brutal assassinations of innocents, but the US would do well to take heed to the lessons of how the rich and powerful can and will usurp democracy when it serves their interests.