Escobar – Loving Pablo (2017)

Directed by: Fernando Leon de Aranoa | 123 minutes | biography, comedy | Actors: Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, Julieth Restrepo, Óscar Jaenada, Fredy Yate, Ricardo Niño, Pedro Calvo, Joavany Alvarez, David Valencia, Santiago Londoño, Juan Sebastián Calero, Quique Mendoza, Ariel Sierra, Julio Nava, Miguel Such , Atanas Srebrev, Carlos Ramirez, Tania Valencia

In ‘Escobar’, her second film about Pablo Escobar (after ‘Blow’ in 2001), Cruz wins the hearts of the audience as the charming Virginia Vallejo, a Colombian journalist who has an affair with ‘Don Pablo’. Unfortunately, due to the various films and series about the turbulent life of the drug lord, this film is the fifth in the past six years, so saturated with – and familiar with the storyline that ‘Escobar’ (‘Loving Pablo’) should bring more than just the story. Unfortunately, director Fernando León de Aranoa failed to do so.

With a duration of two hours, ‘Escobar’ feels like quite a long movie. Of course a lot happens in the life of the Colombian drug lord, but in this film the events just follow one after the other. There don’t seem to be any real developments, other than the decline of Virginia’s love for Pablo. That decay is noticeable quite quickly, and after seeing images of Penelope Cruz for half an hour looking desperately while her big friend is arranging immoral affairs, the viewer has seen that. The characters offer too little substance to grab the viewer.

That is not to say that there are no gripping scenes in this film. Almost every fragment in which the actor couple Cruz and Bardem share the screen produces fireworks. There is a clear chemistry that makes the relationship between Virginia and Pablo, but especially Virginia’s fear of Pablo, very credible. For example, there is a scene in which Virginia tries to threaten Pablo, after which Pablo makes it clear who is really in charge. This scene, about two-thirds of the way through the film, is the absolute climax of the relationship between the two and shows Cruz’s great reach. From joy and infatuation, within a few sentences to insanity and despair.
Unfortunately, Cruz and Bardem fail to deliver these fireworks at times when they are not on screen together. When the two are separated, Bardem falls into half-snarling monologues that are barely distinguishable, and Cruz’s character walks around with either a desperate or fearful face. The lack of substantial development in this makes the film look long-winded.

‘Escobar’ is not a bad film, but at a time when so many films and series are made about the life of Pablo Escobar, De Aranoa has to deliver more than a film that is ‘not bad’. The angle is nice in itself, but unfortunately the film does not really surprise. The reunion of the actor couple Cruz and Bardem (this is their fourth film together) produces fireworks, which saves the film somewhat, but ‘Escobar’ is too long to be really worth it.