Narcos

It seems like I can’t catch a break writing about bad-boys. And naturally Narcos is next on the agenda. Well, the legendary kingpin and cartel boss – Pablo Escobar is. But I’ll get to him in a minute.

When I look back at my writing here at IndieGala, I can’t help but think of all the baddies I wrote about prior Narcos and Pablo Escobar. I wrote about dirty cops, mafia bosses, and even Vegeta- the ultimate anti-hero of the Dragon Ball Z franchise.

Not bad right? Escobar is in really good company, indeed. And he’s next on the list. Why? Well, because we do have Narcos: Rise Of The Cartels on sale right now, and because I’m a huge fan of the TV series. Both the original Narcos and Narcos: Mexico.

But because Narcos: Rise Of The Cartels is based on the first season of the hit Netflix series, I thought it’s best to focus on the first two seasons of Narcos. In fact, they’re the ones focusing on the rise and fall of El Patron.

You know the name and you know the story. But before I focus my attention and creativity in Escobar’s life, career (let’s put it that way) and eventual downfall…. Let’s take a moment and reflect on the game itself.

Narcos

Narcos Rise Of The Cartels: What’s the game all about?

First and foremost, Narcos Rise Of The Cartels is based on the hit Netflix series of the same name. It has plenty of recognizable characters, besides Escobar of course. El Mexicano is there as well, Murphy, Peña, Primo and so many more great characters. The game really takes turn-based strategy combat to a whole new level. How? With units possessing the ability to move individually one after another.

Or multiple times within one turn for that matter. So, plan your moves wisely. But at the same time be cautious as there are always consequences to your actions. Furthermore, the gameplay mechanics keep the turn-based genre fresh by allowing you to take third-person control of your units. Therefore it allows you to engage enemies directly, allowing you to deal with critical damage at optimum moments.

Narcos: The TV show is awesome

Thrilling and highly addictive. Those are probably the best words to describe the first two seasons of Narcos. Led by the fantastic Wagner Moura in the role of Pablo Escobar, Narcos is a must binge TV show for all the TV addicts. And in addition to the fantastic performance by Moura, there’s the captivating presence of Pedro Pascal and Boyd Holbrook as well. Yeah, they’re incredible too.

Next, the raspy voice over from Steve Murphy and of course the stunning recreation of 80’s Colombia. Not to mention the archive footage and the fantastic insight into the history of the Colombian cartels. It’s all there and then some. Polished and with the right dose of character depth, Narcos is more than a recreation of Colombia’s dark past. It’s also a study of characters.

Did I mention how good Wagner Moura is in this show? He’s incredible. I’ve been a fan of Wagner Moura since I saw him in Tropa De Elite, but this was incredible. He embodies Escobar in every sense of the word. About 30 kilos plus on his body and with a crash course in Spanish (Moura is Brazilian), he managed to portray Escobar effortlessly. Speaking of Escobar…

Narcos

Pablo Escobar: The Myth, The Legend

Why do we keep binging on Pablo Escobar related content? Why are we still obsessed with him? The man has been dead since 1993. Furthermore, his downfall and eventual death didn’t come as a surprise even to his supporters. I mean, he was a notorious criminal. It’s even estimated that he’s responsible for around 4000 deaths, so what still fascinates us about him?

Why do we love watching his story in movies and TV shows? Over and over? Some might say because of his deviant, psychopathic nature. It provides us with a roller-coaster of emotions. He’s a bad guy but he’s also a human being. Just like me and you. And there’s his occupation. Not that many of us can become drug lords, and possess the power and wealth that he had. Ultimately those things led to his demise, but the lack of consequence and remorse is still there to astonish us.

The Rise And Fall of Escobar

And unlike me (or most of you) he didn’t have to worry about mundane everyday stuff. Like mortgage payments or boring PTA meetings. His life is a form of escapism for most of us. Do you remember the scene in which he burned like 2 million dollars just to keep his family warm? That happened in real life too. Not to mention that Narcos chose to portray him as a flawed and slightly disturbed business man. He just cared way too deeply about his family, that’s all.

Moreover, the first two seasons of Narcos spend the majority of the runtime portraying his private life. There were the business operations and his clever attempts to stay clear from the relentless DEA agents. The first season even ends with his escape from prison. So, the consequences of his actions are made second to the opulence and brutality of his modus operandi. You can say that he’s been glorified in the Netflix TV show, but the truth is he’s been glorified in real life as well. So, the show-runners were not far from the truth on that.

Narcos

DEA agents that just wouldn’t let go

There’s no way I can forget about Javier Peña and Steve Murphy. The two DEA agents that were given the task to bring down Pablo Escobar. Pedro and Boyd did them justice with their fantastic performances. And speaking of the DEA agents, both of them made a cameo appearance in the second season’s finale.

Narcos is the team effort of a few talented actors, directors, writers and cinematographers. I can’t forget about the location scouts, the very talented make-up artists and designers, because they also deserve mention. They turned back the clock on the actors and locations and made us feel like we were back in the ’80s. Amazing work that continues to impress and astonish. Don’t you think?

Your thoughts

Did you enjoy Narcos? What’s your favorite season? Or your preference is Narcos: Mexico? Tell us all about it in the comment section. We’d love to know for sure.

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