This video essay by Joseph Marchioness promotes the Netflix original drama Narcos, detailing Pablo Escobar’s rise to power in the Colombian drug trade and the eventual manhunt leading to his death. The acting in this show is incredible; Wagner Moura masterfully brings the tyrannical yet charismatic nature of Pablo Escobar to life. Pedro Pascal and Boyd Holbrook also kill it as the two main protagonists and DEA agents attempting to catch Escobar. The first scene of the show grabs you by the belt buckle and shows you what’s to come while leave you craving for your next hit. The use of some many Spanish speaking actors, the musical selection, and the shooting conducted in Colombia really brings the setting of the 80’s in Colombia to life. A series of historical lectures by Holbrook’s character Steve Murphy also help to ground the context of the time 30 years in the future. All of this brings this story to life and makes the show feel gritty but emotional and multifaceted at the same time.

This video essay doesn’t blow me away in any of its use of elements. Mainly, it features Joseph looking straight into the camera and talking about the show. I think it could have used more of the onscreen depiction of the film, more direct sound from the movie, and more text. There was no interplay between what little was shown and the subject in question. However, I do think the monologue was decent, it just gets stale when there’s no breaks and the author is speaking at full speed at the entire time.