Huievest
Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.
Tayloriona
Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
Arianna Moses
Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
Lidia Draper
Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
anfemo
Is one of the few series that show the reality about the Narcotrafic in Colombia and the insane life of Pablo Escobar according to his life real facts and not all that Hollywood and Netflix drama and info that never happens.
Somethings Amiss
This was an interestingly informative series. Unlike the new Narcos show, this show gave us a complete insight of how Pablo became the terror he was. In my opinion Narcos has to get better with their storyline, as it is not as thorough as the Pablo el Patron series. Maybe because they telling it from the Narcs perspective and even though it is a good show, I feel like it is still lacking some pertinent information. Pablo el Patron took me by surprise and held me tight until the very end of the series and now I feel like I need more but the story came to an end in the right way. LOVED IT!!!!!!! I hate it took me 4 years to see it.
ValerinAmberz
I marathon-watched this vastly ambitious project, watching 3-4 episodes a day. Caracol television aired as many as 113 episodes, although Netflix cut it down to 74. I assume that it's the same amount of film, but without the commercial breaks they could make the episodes longer on Netflix. I hadn't planned to see the whole thing as fast as I did but the fact that I did can only add to the praise I have for it. In spite of its flaws this is easily the biggest and best production ever from Colombia. It is not perfect, but I have no idea how a perfect show would deal with this material in a coherent and responsible way. These are real people we're talking about, how do you make it entertaining and pay respect to the victims at the same time? There are several moments where you feel that the show idolizes Escobar, (a rare feeling since family members of his victims were involved in the production) but as his killings and terrorism escalates you feel that it somehow recovers in the end, and makes a more ethical portrayal of the events and the awful damage this monster made on Colombia. While the show Narcos focuses on the DEA's participation in the manhunt, this show focuses mainly on the efforts of the Colombian Police and Military. But the truth is that this was Colombias ordeal much more than it was USA's. The terror and insecurity. Knowing that anybody who did the right thing, testified against the cartel or disagreed with their actions could easily be eliminated. And that no one could guarantee their safety. In the end the DEA helped Colombia much more than they helped USA. They came to hunt down a drug-dealer when in reality the trafficking of drugs was the least of his crimes. Colombia was much more hurt by the terrorist, kidnapper and killer Escobar, than the drug trafficker. Without the threat of extradition this man could've bought, threatened, forced and manipulated his way into becoming the nations leader. There is no way a prison in Colombia could keep this criminal behind bars and isolate him from the Colombian society. I think the two shows Patron del mal and Narcos complete each other, even if "Patron" is infinitely better. Without the success of "el patron del mal" they probably wouldn't create "Narcos". And without the international success of "Narcos" to the English speaking audience, "el patron" wouldn't wake up curiosity and reach an audience outside Latin America. I rate the show highly even if it has a telenovela-feel at times, many great actors, apart from Escobar himself, the portrayals of his family, crew and most known victims such as Galan and Cano. The casting is excellent most of the time with actors who physically are mirror images of the real people. In the smaller roles and in the action sequences you can see the shows flaws, but it's forgivable. The shows theme is catchy with tasteful lyrics, once again trying to pay tribute to the victims to compensate any moments of admiration it may have shown to this Criminal. All in all the soundtrack is good but some songs too repetitive. This show was controversial in Colombia and rightfully so.However it's highly watchable and recommended.
steveinozjm
This is a l..o..n..g series but one you can't stop watching once you've started. A low by blow, almost day by day account it feels like, of Pablo Escobar's life, his friendships, marriage and family life, his psychopathy, complex narcissistic personality, the sheer brutality of him and his gang. Dismissing massive bombings of suburbs, passenger plane and indiscriminate massacres of thousands of innocent Columbians as a way to fight the government, contrasts with being a man who cries when his murderous friends and gang members are killed by the government forces.This is the first Colombian film series I've ever watched. You need to get used to its style. Part documentary, part drama, in parts it feels like part-soap, with sentimental segments (when Pablo's gang kills someone important) accompanied by heart-rending music. And a bit of rocky music in minor chords played in every tense scene leading to some action. But despite these quirks, you get used to this and it kinda grows on you.Oh and the subtitles. Another source of entertainment. Whoever did the subtitles kinda knows how to translate into English. Probably learned in school. They are a constant source of some confusion and a lot of laughter, never being quite on the mark. But again, you get used to it and it all adds to being a fantastic piece of entertainment and education about this brutal part of modern Colombian history.
