Reviews

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  ★★★½ review by Gary Nines Jr. on Letterboxd

  Benicio del Toro is mesmerizing as the drug lord Pablo Escobar but I feel like a much better actor than Josh Hutcherson could have been chosen for the other lead role.

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  ★★★½ review by rogue shooter on Letterboxd

  The Soundtrack is amazing

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  ★★★★ review by mick culleton on Letterboxd

  Surprisingly effective thriller, A young Canadian surfer begins a relationship with then unknown drug kingpin Pablo Escobars niece , But soon his pulled into his brutal world, Powerful thriller with one of the most tense gripping climaxes i have seen in a while

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  ★★★½ review by nicktday on Letterboxd

  While it's pretty light on character this is still an effective thriller. It was a shame that a little more time wasn't given to establishing a better relationship between Josh Hutcherson and the niece as if they had formed a stronger bond it would have made the ending more powerful.

  I like Hutcherson, I think he's a likeable actor with enough acting chops to carry a film like this. Benicio del Toro was good as Escobar in what few scenes he had of any substance. Yet, while his impact was minimal I liked that his presence was limited to a role akin to The Joker's in The Dark Knight as the film wasn't really his anyway.

  The third act is suitably tense while maintaining a relatively small scale to the situations Hutcherson's character finds himself in - his dilemmas and his reactions are all understandable.

  Had his relationship with his brother and Pablo's niece been expanded and given more weight (and Brady Corbet being recast wouldn't do any harm) to proceedings then this could have been excellent. As it is it is a well made and well acted thriller but one that lacks any emotional investment.

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  ★★★½ review by Peazze on Letterboxd

  "I’d rather be in a grave in Colombia than in prison in the United States."

  Escobar: Paradise Lost is the debut of the directress Andrea di Stefano with a brilliant acting Benicio Del Toro as Escobar. Unfortunately i haven't informed be about this film before, so I was expecting a biopic of Pablo Escobar, but instead of elaborating the life of the famous drug lord - I saw a mixture between a biography and a fictional drama.

  The fictional part is integrated very well and the movie never gets boring but I'm not really into Josh Hutcherson. And that's the big problem, because he is the main part of this movie and the story is told through his eyes. Therefore less Escobar - more dramatic love story about a white canadian Hutcherson who is in love with Pablo's niece.

  Finally this movie is entertaining and has some very great scenes but in the end this is a lost opportunity for taking a closer look into the very exciting life of Pablo Escobar.

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