I really loved this series. I thought it was much better than Narcos. If you know anything about Mexico during the past 20 years, El Chapo will be even more enjoyable because it does a great job of portraying the political, social and economic complexities of the country and it will all be familiar and very true to life. But, even if you don't know anything about Mexico, you can still enjoy it for the drama and excitement of this crime genre.
The casting was brilliant. Marco de la O did a great job as El Chapo. He captured the accent,the mannerisms and even resembled El Chapo so much that you could forget he was an actor playing a part. It felt like you were really seeing El Chapo. Even the clothing he wore was the same as what you see in photos and videos of El Chapo, so the attention to detail was amazing. Humberto Busto was also outstanding as the corrupt politician Conrado Sol. The actors who played former Presidents Salinas, Fox, Calderon, Peña Nieto and other recognizable politicians in Mexico were really good at creating their characters. Chapo's family, friends, and henchmen were also convincing in their roles. Overall, it was a believable cast and very well acted.. Almost everything that happens in the show happened in real life, so it's almost like watching a documentary.
The series comes down very heavy on the Mexican government and justice system, showing how corrupt everyone is. The message is clear; the drug cartels are run on a model very similar to Mexico's political parties, manipulating everything and everyone to achieve their goals. El Chapo is violent and ruthless, but so is almost everyone else in power, so there are really no "good guys" in the show, just different groups of people trying to advance their interests. It explains why the drug cartels came into existence in Mexico, why they got so out of hand, and why no one could stop them. With or without El Chapo, the drug trade continues today because it's not dependent on one man. It's a well-oiled machine that keeps running, and the leadership positions get filled by whoever is the most manipulative and ruthless, just like the political system. The most evil character in the show is Conrado Sol because he has no loyalty, no morals and no scruples, and yet he hypocritically pretends to be the savior of Mexico. As long as Mexico is in the hands of people like him, there's no solution to the problem of corruption and violence.
I appreciated that the show was from a Mexican point of view, and that the DEA characters had small roles. I'm not particularly interested in DEA agents, and am more interested in seeing how the drug trade impacts Mexican society. The violence engendered by the warring cartels and the Mexican government's war on drugs is of great importance to the Mexican people and has made life very difficult for them. While El Chapo is the recognizable name and face for the problem, the show made it clear that the problem is more widespread than that, and that the economic and social problems of Mexico created conditions in which drug trafficking became a viable way of making money. The show doesn't whitewash the violence of the narcos, but it does put it in a social context.
Overall I would highly recommend the show to anyone who likes this genre. It's violent but not overly graphic. It's definitely binge worthy.
