Escobar: Paradise Lost

Veteran Italian actor Andrea di Stefano makes his directorial debut with this thriller centering on Nick (Josh Hutcherson), a Canadian surfing instructor who becomes involved with infamous Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar (Benicio del Toro). The story opens in 1991, with Escobar about to go to prison. Before surrendering, Escobar decides to hide his fortune, giving Nick a 9mm gun along with detailed instructions on how to stash the loot in a cave and kill the guide who has been enlisted to help. Flashbacks reveal that Nick was riding the waves of Medellin's beaches with his brother (Brady Corbet) when he met vivacious, idealistic Maria (Claudia Traisac), Escobar's favorite niece. After being flown to Escobar's sprawling jungle hacienda for a lavish celebration, Nick discovers that the then-popular politician has renovated a health clinic for the poor. When he naively inquires how Uncle Pablo got rich, Maria answers, “Cocaine!”—going on to explain that people in this tropical region have been chewing coca leaves for centuries and Uncle Pablo is just “exporting the national product.” But it's not that simple. When Nick is assaulted, Uncle Escobar promptly “takes care of it”—the thugs are murdered, and left hanging by their feet from a tree. Even after Nick marries Maria and is absorbed into Escobar's powerful web of deception and intrigue, he doesn't seem to realize what's happening until Colombia's Minister of Justice is viciously assassinated and Escobar goes on the run. Unfortunately, this unfocused melodrama is more about Nick than the far more interesting Escobar. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Catching Pablo” making-of featurette (31 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for an uneven drama.] (S. Granger)