In a third world country like ours and the latin nation, Colombia, survival is our main tool. In order to do that, you must be fit to do either of the two things. You can go with the righteous or you embrace the idea of being on the other side of the fence... the people who'd do anything just to keep them in power, full of greed, inhumane... people who risk other people's lives for their own sake. People who take advantage of other's weaknesses and use their absolute power and connections... all these things lead to illegal acts.
I have been reading news about Colombia, being the harbor of illegal drugs, partiicularly of cocaine or "Coke" as they say. As we all know, it is considered to be one of the most frequently used illegal drug globally. This is where Pablo Escobar, a Colombian and "King of All Narcos," become ilegally famous.
It was very evident in the movie that when greediness overpowers every human being, no amount of Godliness would ever take over. Blinded by the truth, by power and most especially by money. That is Pablo Escobar, he takes risks in everything but his family. I guess that's what made him different from the other drug lords or chiefs of any existing illegal groups or syndicates. His love for his family most especially his kids was unquestionable.
Yes, he had loved a woman other than his wife, by the name of the famous Colombian journalist, Virginia Vallejo and he had given his full trust to her so-called mistress. Numerous ill-fated killings, human abuse, drug cartels, illegal transactions, even child exploitation, pedophilia, massacre, bribery, stealing and others, name it, Pablo has it! The issue about trust and loyalty were of big importance to him.
Towards the end of the story, it has been proven that "Behind the downfall of every man is a woman." Virginia's trust and loyalty was compromised. In order for her to keep up with her life and to survive, she did what she thought was right but with a heavy heart. So what is it to tell about Pablo Escobar, the King of All Narcos... will you love him or hate him???
Penelope Cruz as Virginia and Javier Bardem as Pablo
The real-life xßcouple Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz had once again proven how genuine and strong actors they were. They were undoubtedly a tandem to beat! While watching them on the screen, you'd really feel the strength and impact of their characters, they really seemed like they were the real Pablo and Virginia.
If you are fond of hard-action movies, then this is a must watch for you. Aside from the fact that the story was based from real life happenings, with great actors and that the writer was the real Virginia Vallejo herself, your money was real worth it. This is Rated R16 'cause it contains uncut violent and bloody scenes.
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As our country continues its strict war on drugs, VIVA International Pictures and MVP Entertainment present ESCOBAR (Loving Pablo), a movie that chronicles the rise and fall of the infamous Colombian tagged as the “King of All Narcos”, Pablo Escobar.
Based on the best-selling book “Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar” by Virginia Vallejo, a distinguished journalist with whom Escobar had an affair with, it stars Academy Award winners and real-life husband and wife, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz.
Several documentaries and feature films have already been done about this son of a farmer who, at one point, became the seventh richest person on the planet, but Bardem (Skyfall, No Country for Old Men) and director Fernando León de Aranoa (Barrio, Mondays in the Sun, A Perfect Day), assure that their movie is nothing like what viewers have seen before.
Javier Bardem as Pablo Escobar
According to Bardem, “ESCOBAR (Loving Pablo) begins when Pablo Escobar is already an established businessman, but people hadn’t yet figured out how he was making his money. He meets Virginia, and through their relationship and her platform, he soon becomes a powerful public figure with a voice for the people.”
What the people of Colombia didn’t know was that the man they were supporting always had a selfish motive behind his actions, and it was too late when they finally came to realize it.
“That's where the movie starts,” Bardem reveals, “and the story is that of the people around him as they realize what kind of a person he has become.”
As for de Aranoa, he believes that Pablo found a confidant in Virginia, “someone who he could convey his innermost ideas and intentions, which makes her a unique character and gives our story a fresh perspective.”
On how he and Penelope Cruz approached their characters, Bardem says, "Our portrayal of Pablo and Virginia are fully fleshed out human beings rather than stereotypes…We try to understand the motivation behind Pablo’s actions and why Virginia supported him at the beginning…That's why it’s called Loving Pablo - because this movie is through Virginia’s eyes and the eyes of those who loved Pablo the human being.”
Cruz, who had worked with Bardem in Woody Allen’s hit Vicky Cristina Barcelona, for which she won the 2009 Best Supporting Actress Award at the Oscar’s, prepared hard for her role. "I’ve never met her," says Cruz, pertaining to Virginia Vallejo who currently resides in Miami, “but I've studied about 800 hours of various interviews and shows that she did as a journalist and TV presenter. She is the one that trained Escobar how to use the media to communicate, how to deal with the press, how to address the public. In his political career, she became a significant figure in his life.
Playing the significant role of Agent Shepard who is instrumental in the capture of Escobar is celebrated actor Peter Sarsgaard (The Magnificent Seven, Experimenter). It was Bardem who emailed him and offered him the role. “One of the things that Javier baited me with when he was first talking about the movie, is that he said that I had a lot of scenes with Penelope.” He had worked with Cruz in the film Elegy, and he’s a fan of Berdam as well, so he readily said yes to doing this film with them.
Audiences can expect “amazing action moments” from this crime drama. But most of all, Bardem emphasizes, “this story is about relationships – love, hate, greed, ambition, pain, and joy." ESCOBAR (Loving Pablo) opens in cinemas nationwide on June 20, 2018.
