Narcos

The first episode has immediately sucked me in with how informative and documentary-like Pablo Escobar’s story felt. The documentary style of editing gets slower and slower with following episodes, but I didn’t even mind. You’ll be watching every minute and wait for the writers to hit you with another fun fact that will once again assure you that you aren’t watching fiction. Quite the contrary, you’re watching an incredibly cruel reality of Columbia at the time. At times, it’s even hard to believe that all of this could happen. However, exactly this incredulity is the core of the premise that is so strong that not even 5 stars feel enough. It was an absolute blast. Netflix really outdid themselves. (2018-05-15)

The third season about the Cali Cartel is a bit weaker than the first and second, focusing on the life of Pablo Escobar and his capture. But as a whole, it works very well. The smooth interlacing of the plot with documentary footage contributes to the quality of the series. This gave me the feeling that the filmed story did not deviate too much from reality. This comprehensive work is of considerable value, especially in that the viewer unfamiliar with the conditions in Colombia learns what atrocities certain egotistical individuals committed in the interests of power, influence, and wealth. From all that the filmmakers served us on a golden platter, a rather frightening thought has taken root in my head about how easy it is to corrupt perhaps every political system... (2020-05-05)

Character-driven, elaborate, personal, authentic, raw. A spectacular drug saga charting the 1980s and 90s in countries that were drug havens. A brilliant mix of semi-documentary and fiction. A little loose at times, of course, due to the number of episodes, but still dwarfing most of the competition in terms of content. (2019-11-05)

The series became an instant favorite of mine. What makes me like it so much is how different it is from the standard. The creators managed to create an excellent, powerful atmosphere right from the first episode. They also did an excellent job regarding action and suspense. If it hadn't been for four somewhat awkward episodes in the second half of the second season, I would have practically nothing to complain about. And I can't even say those episodes were bad, I just got too spoiled by the perfection that precedes them. I really enjoyed Agent Murphy's commentary and the use of real footage, which gave the whole series more depth. I really enjoyed this show. (2018-02-07)

I've been putting off the series for maybe half a year, but thanks to the current film shortage I've gone full steam ahead and I don't regret a second of the time I spent on it. Pablo Escobar is a someone who has earned my respect and it's definitely good to know how things worked in Colombia at the time. Highlights: the detailed instructions on how to make cocaine, the presidential election, and his own prison. Very good, interesting, engaging and decently gritty. 95% (2017-09-07)