Escobar: Paradise Lost

Drugs is a huge problem worldwide. Every day people die of drug overdoses, or are killed because of drug business. No matter what drug people use, there is a lot of money to be made in the drug industry. So no matter how police forces worldwide fight the drug industry, they can´t keep up with every new product that is released. As an example, within just a year, we have so many dead teenagers in Sweden, who used the drug known as Spice. I lost 2 friends who both died of overdoses, and another one could have been dead, but managed to survive with major injuries. I have never tried drugs, and i never felt that i need to. I drink alcohol, but not very often. So i would say that you don´t need drugs, because they will mess you up anyway. There are many famous drug cartel kings from history that became a hero for many poor people. One of the biggest drug cartel icons have to be Pablo Escobar, the colombian drug lord. He was one of the most dangerous criminals of all time, killing people constantly while doing big business deals. He was known as " The King Of Cocaine ", and the most dangerous drug lord of them all. He died in 1993, where his brothers claim that he took his own life. Others claim he was killed by Colombian electronic surveillance team, led by Brigadier Hugo Martinez. They located Escobar in Medellin, and begun firing their guns at him. If the last bullet killed him, no one knows, or if he took his own life. Either way, Pablo Escobar is a legend in the cartel world. There have been several films and tv series based on the life of Escobar, you might have seen one of them known as Blow, with Johnny Depp. But here we are with a fresh film, telling the tale of Escobar´s life, this time portraied by Benicio Del Toro. This is also the debut feature film from director Andrea Di Stefano, who worked as an actor in different tv and film productions. Is Escobar: Paradise Lost, a fascinating look on this legendary drug king, or is this a film you might as well skip and find something more interesting ?

In the summer of 1983, Nick Brady ( John Hutcherson ) and his brother Dylan Brady ( Brady Corbet ), comes from Canada, to run a surf camp together on the colombian coast. While working hard in the heat, Nick meet Maria ( Claudia Traísac ). They begin to see each other, as feelings begin to grow for each day. One day, Maria want to introduce him to her family, at the mansion of Pablo Escobar ( Benicio Del Toro ). Pablo like Nick instantly and want him to work for him instead. Nick takes Pablos offer, and become a family member quickly. Everything seems wonderful, until Nick realise how dangerous Pablo is, and what he is capable of. The ordinary life Nick once had, is now long gone. Unless he can find a way out, and escape to freedom.

I have seen plenty of films, taking on drug problems. But when you make a film based on one of the most dangerous cartel kings of all time, you realise that there is a lot to tell about Escobar. I find it interesting that we get a different perspective on his lifestyle, than just seeing him do drug business, we also get to hear some of his closest family members and their thoughts. It is not hard to understand that Escobar had to have psychological problems, considering he had no emotions at all when it came to killing people. To just be able to kill anyone, in all ages, and have no emotions, show us that the drugs were more important than human life. This may not be the greatest performance ever from Benicio Del Toro, but i feel that he fits great as Pablo Escobar, even if i wish he could have been even more violent. You do get to see some scenes with his bad temper, but i think he might have been even more crazy in real life. Of course i never met the guy, just a feeling after reading about his personality. I would still say that from a biographical view, Escobar: Paradise Lost, deliver a story that in some ways are incredible. How this man could build such an empire is a mystery in some ways. Of course he had so much money and power, he did anything to become even bigger in the drug industry. He could not live a normal life, since business was always the most important detail, so you see a lost soul who have no comfort zone. Since this is the debut feature film from director Andrea Di Stefano, i feel that he manage to handle this story in a good way. He could have easily made a typical mediocre drama, but he seems to take the job seriously. If you were hoping for action scenes and lots of bullets, you might not get what you wish for. This is more of a dramatic film, showing us another side of Escobar, where we also get to know his closest workers who helped him build up his empire. You also learn that he did help people, building schools and health care clinics to make sure people could get help. If you enjoy films based on true stories, Escobar: Paradise Lost might actually please you. I doubt we will ever have anyone as big as Pablo in the drug cartel world, he can never be replaced. I am glad he is not alive, because who knows how many more he would have killed. A horrible man, still interesting to learn more about his personality. Tired of Äntligen Hemma on TV4 ? I suggest you play this film in your dvd player instead, and see a film with a very important message. Drugs may be a big industry, but in the end drugs only makes everything worse.

Rating: DDD