Review of Escobar: Paradise Lost (2014) by Worapol M — 29 Jun 2017

This movie is to Pablo Escobar what The Last King of Scotland was to Idi Amin: the tale of a legendary villain seen through the eyes of a random (and fictional) white dude. It's so unfortunate that filmmakers feel they have to invent white protagonists to make movies about other countries more relatable to a broad American audience.

Escobar is a larger than life character and deserves a movie all to himself, but alas, he is reduced to a supporting role in this film It's so disappointing because Benecio del Toro as Pablo Escobar is so fucking awesome, I was very sad I didn't get more of it.

The main character is a "Canadian surfer" (ugh, please!) that falls in love with Escobar's niece. And hijinks ensue. The majority of the film follows his desperate attempts to escape the clutches of the drug cartel, but the problem is that you never see the set up.

You don't see how he is seduced by the charming villain and then slowly realize that maybe all is not what it seems. You only see him trying to get out, so you never really root for him, instead you just wonder how he could be so stupid to end up in that position in the first place.

To make matters worse, the character is too bland and wholesome, which isn't helped by the fact that he is played by Josh Hutcherson, champion beta-boy of Hunger Games fame. Hutcherson gives it everything he's got, it's not enough to flesh out his thinly written character.

As to the story itself, the director is too heavy-handed with the melodrama, the film needed a more delicate touch to be truly impactful. This movie has its moments as a suspense/thriller, it's entertaining enough to keep you interested, but it missed the mark from the get-go, all in its choice of main character.

If you are interested in Escobar's story, watch the Netflix series "Narcos" instead.