The Godfather Of Cocaine

The rise and fall of Medellin cocaine cartel boss Pablo Escobar is more frightening and fantastic than any Hollywood production. This Frontline documentary portrays him as the most successful criminal in history, a complex man considered pious by his family yet also a man who hero-worshipped Al Capone for his ruthlessness. Applying industrial methods to drug production, the tape notes that Escobar was to the cocaine trade what Ford was to the automobile. In less than twenty years Escobar rose from a petty street thief to a drug lord with international reach and national power. Considered a folk hero and Robin Hood by Medellin's poor, Escobar combined generosity to friends, extreme violence to rivals, and a shrewd anti-gringo nationalist appeal to consolidate his power. In the end Escobar made too many enemies, and he died in a hail of Colombian police bullets in 1993. Meanwhile the cocaine trade goes on, but more quietly. This film traces Escobar's "career," expertly portraying the rise of the 80's drug trade and narco-terrorism, with all its messy social and political consequences. Drug agents, Escobar's mother, and a heavily disguised former member of the Medellin cartel are interviewed. News footage and home videos of Escobar's private life are featured, but viewers should be warned that the video contains pictures and descriptions of graphic violence. An excellent documentary, well up to the high standards of the PBS Frontline series. Can't wait for the movie version (is Oliver Stone reading this?) Highly recommended. (S. Rees)