⭐8.8
Description: Narcos tells the true-life story of the growth and spread of cocaine drug cartels across the globe and attendant efforts of law enforcement to meet them head on in brutal, bloody conflict. It centers around the notorious Colombian cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura) and Steve Murphy (Holbrook), a DEA agent sent to Colombia on a U.S. mission to capture him and ultimately kill him.
Creators: Carlo Bernard, Chris Brancato, Doug Miro
Stars: Pedro Pascal, Wagner Moura, Boyd Holbrook
Taglines:
- There’s no business like blow business.
- The hunt for Pablo is on.
- The blow must go on.
- Rise of a new empire.
- The route of all evil.
Trivia
- Wagner Moura sees Narcos (2015) as his official entrance in the international film industry, because Elysium (2013) seemed more like an experience, since his character didn’t have a big relevance.
- Agent Javier Pena, portrayed here by Pedro Pascal, was significantly involved in bringing down Pablo Escobar and the Medellin cartel in real life. These events are depicted in seasons one and two of Narcos. He was not involved in bringing down the Rodriguez brothers and their Cali cartel, which is depicted in season three of Narcos. However, the Narcos series shows Javier Pena in all three seasons as main character, bringing down the Medellin and Cali cartels.
- Pedro Pascal felt uncomfortable in 1980s fashions (“I looked like a kid.”) so he decided to make Peña’s wardrobe a character trait: “Let’s just say Javier Peña is like Don Draper, in that the 70s is where he really found himself… and so he’s stuck there. He’s not throwing those pants out, he’s not changing his hair, he’s not changing his shoes. It’s his time, and he’s gonna look like that until the day he dies.”
- During his peak, Pablo smuggled $70 million worth of cocaine every week amounting to about $20 billion profits a year making him one of the richest men in the world. It is said that he spent approximately $3000 in buying rubberbands for his money each month. Rats nibbled at 10 percent of his money amounting to a loss of $2 billion each year.
- Wagner Moura is Brazilian and had to learn Spanish to take on the role. His mother tongue is Portuguese. Incidentally, the opening theme is also sung in Spanish by a Brazilian musician, Rodrigo Amarante.
- When Pablo Escobar first met Fernando Duque in his house, he said “I’m not rich, I’m a poor man with money” this is a famous quote of Colombian Nobel prize writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
- Both Pedro Pascal and Diego Luna (who stars in Narcos: Mexico (2018-), a spin-off of this series) are a part of the Star Wars franchise. Pascal stars as the titular Mandalorian in The Mandalorian (2019-), and Luna played Cassian Andor in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).
- During the intro, the president on the tv screen changes chronologically with the timeline of the story.
- Maurice Compte played a hit man for a Mexican cartel in the series Breaking Bad (2008). In Narcos, he’s the colonel trying to take down Pablo Escobar and the Medellin cartel.
- In Spanish, the term “narco” is an abbreviation of the word “narcotraficante” which means drug trafficker.
- Wagner Moura gained 40lbs for his role as Pablo Escobar.
- The Ms. Colombia in the intro is Mexican model Oralia Cortes.
- Wagner Moura plays the role of Pablo Escobar, a Colombian drug-lord. In one of his best known roles in Elite Squad (2007) he plays a BOPE (Brazilian Special Police) Captain trying to take down drug dealers and criminals in Rio de Janeiro.
- The ‘Uzi’ seen being fired by various narcos during the series is actually an Ekol ASI a blank firing Uzi ‘clone’ used in place of the real Uzi in many films.
- Colonel Hugo Martinez who was shown in the series in the form of an imaginary character of Carrillo had to face attempts on his life many times . Once when his cook was asked to poison him and second when a soldier who was asked to shoot him. He was offered money by Pablo but he declined at the very instant.
- Carrillo is based on Hugo Martinez who used to wink on declaring any criminal killed in an encounter.
- In episode one, the Miami skyline is present day, not 1979.
- Aldemar Correa who plays the character of Ivan Torres, head of the militia group M-19 also acts as Fabio Ochoa in Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal (2012), another production about Pablo Escobar’s life.
- Wagner Moura and André Mattos worked together with José Padilha in Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within (2010).
- Narcos (2015) is the 1st Netflix Original Series featuring Chilean actors in its cast.
- Christian Tappan, who plays Kiko Moncada on this show, plays Pablo Escobar’s cousin Gonzalo Gaviria on Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal (2012).
- Adriana Barraza was previously tapped to portray Hermilda Escobar, Pablo’s mother, in four episodes – including the pilot. She was later replaced by Paulina García for unknown reasons.
- Several times throughout the second season several sicarios are seen armed with the Para Ordnance Model 85. Which is, in fact, an automatic paintball (labelled a ‘dye marker’) manufactured in the 1980s and was intended as a training tool for military and law enforcement agencies.
- Narcos (2015)’s Cinematographer Lula Carvalho had previously worked with José Padilha in Elite Squad (2007), Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within (2010), and RoboCop (2014).