Escobar: Paradise Lost

Parental Rating: R

Contains: Language    Violence    Adult Content    

Jill's Review

Opens June 26, 2015

Runs 120 minutes

Brothers Nick (Josh Hutcherson) and Dylan (Brady Corbet) head to Colombia to live the dream of running an oceanside shop/cafe and teaching surf lessons all day. Things are ok, but they do run afoul of the local gang who wants to charge them for being on the beach. Then Nick meets Maria (Claudia Traisac), the woman of his dreams. They fall in love and soon he is meeting her family. Nick is oblivious to the fact that Maria's uncle is Pablo Escobar (Benicio Del Toro). When the thugs who have been hassling them on the beach suddenly wind up dead, Nick doesn't really even think twice. Soon, he is working on the hacienda and enjoying the good life. He sees Escobar building clinics and giving money to the poor. Meanwhile, Dylan is trying to warn him that things are not what they seem and they all need to leave Colombia before it is too late. Only, it is already too late. Escobar has made a deal to turn himself in to the authorities and he has one last request of Nick, which will put everyone that he loves in danger.

We liked this movie. It is told from the standpoint of the fictional Nick character, so the audience is just observing what Escobar's life was like. Benicio Del Toro is great, as usual. I didn't really think that Josh Hutcherson could pull off this role, but he was ok. It definitely made us curious about Pablo Escobar. This happened in the 90's so it was hard to remember what really occurred. He did turn himself in and then eventually escaped. With the help of the United States, he was hunted for 18 months before he was killed. It would be interesting to know what happened to all of his assets because at one time, he was considered one of the richest men in the world. Anyway, pretty decent movie. Worth seeing if you have the time.

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