✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

You have reached the limit of free articles.


To enjoy unlimited access to Culture Whisper sign up for FREE.
Find out more about Culture Whisper

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy

Each week, we send newsletters and communication featuring articles, our latest tickets invitations, and exclusive offers.

Occasional information about discounts, special offers and promotions.


OR
LOG IN

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

Thanks for signing up to Culture Whisper.
Please check your inbox for a confirmation email and click the link to verify your account.



EXPLORE CULTURE WHISPER
✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy
Forgot your username or password?
Don't have an account? Sign Up

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

If you click «Log in with Facebook» and are not a Culture Whisper user, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and to our Privacy Policy, which includes our Cookie Use

Support Us Login
  • Home
  • Going Out
    • Things to do
    • Food & Drink
    • Theatre
    • Visual Arts
    • Cinema
    • Kids
    • Festival
    • Gigs
    • Dance
    • Classical Music
    • Opera
    • Immersive
    • Talks
  • Staying In
    • TV
    • Books
    • Cook
    • Podcast
    • Design
    • Netflix
  • Life & Style
    • Beauty
    • Fashion
    • Gifting
    • Wellbeing
    • Lifestyle
    • Shopping
    • Jewellery
  • Explore
  • Shopping
  • CW SHOPS
  • Support Us
  • Get Started
  • Tickets
  • CW SHOPS
Get the Best of London Life, Culture and Style
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
Cinema

Escobar movie: Paradise Lost, Benicio Del Toro review ★★★★★

21 Aug 15 – 21 Sep 15, 12:00 PM – 12:00 AM

Escobar movie: Paradise Lost, Benicio Del Toro review – an entertaining cartel thriller that lacks biographical texture.

By CW Contributor on 20/8/2015

Benicio del Toro, Escobar
Benicio del Toro, Escobar
Escobar movie: Paradise Lost, Benicio Del Toro review 3 Escobar movie: Paradise Lost, Benicio Del Toro review Asya Likhtman
New film about Pablo Escobar: Paradise Lost
Critics are divided about this latest film about Pablo Escobar, Paradise Lost. Andrea di Stefano, known for his roles in films Life of Pi and Sacred Heart, has now turn his hand to directing a biopic about Mexico's most infamous criminal, Pablo Escobar. Films in the past have succeeded in vividly capturing the complex psychology of the man behind the media furore – notably the documentary 30 for 30: The Two Escobars – but this new Escobar film chooses to focus instead on the repercussions of Escobar's reign on his intimate family members and those on the sidelines during the violent reign of the Colombian cocaine King.
In the new Escobar film, Paradise Lost, del Toro perfectly encapsulates the character of the notorious criminal: with charisma verging on sociopathic he inhabits an eery calm throughout that sits uncomfortably with his exterior as a family man, constantly playing with his children whilst making murderous decisions at the push of a button.
This new film, however, chooses to focus not primarily on Pablo Escobar, but instead on the burgeoning romance between his beautiful philanthropic niece Maria (Claudia Traisac) and her Canadian fiancée, who finds himself steadily more embroiled in Escobar's criminal underworld. Whilst the Colombian women on the sidelines are apparently entirely naïve as to the murderous actions of their husband and uncle, Escobar's new son-in-law, Canadian surfer Nick (Josh Hutcherson) observes everything with suspicion, but inaction, until the violence comes to a head and Escobar finds himself the most wanted man in Colombian history.
The film then becomes a cat-and-mouse-chase between a fascinating figure of recent political history and one far less so, as Escobar brutally orders the elimination of all his cronies – the men who've seen too much – and with them, his niece's fiancée. Where di Stefano's biopic falls short is in choosing to focus on his unknown Canadian victim, meaning the film ultimately becomes an oversimplified, 'love conquers all' action romp, as Nick attempts to slip through the nets of Colombia's most powerful criminal mastermind. Exhilarating viewing for action junkies and fans of del Toro but lacking in biographical texture, the Escobar: Paradise Lost film shows an accomplished foray into directing for di Stefano but fails to show the truth behind the fiction. 


ESCOBAR: PARADISE LOST will be released in UK cinemas and available on demand on 21st August and Available on Blu-ray and DVD from September 21st, 2015

Watch the trailer: Escobar: Paradise Lost

 click to explore our cinema section

What Escobar movie: Paradise Lost, Benicio Del Toro review
Where Various Locations | MAP
Nearest tube Leicester Square (underground)
When 21 Aug 15 – 21 Sep 15, 12:00 PM – 12:00 AM
Price £ determined by venue
Website Click here to go to the Escobar IMDb page



Most popular

Things to do in London this weekend: 27–29 January
Things to do in London this weekend: 27–29 January
Harrison Ford in Shrinking, AppleTV+ (Photo: Apple)
What to watch on TV this week
Culture After Dark: The Best Museum Late Night Openings
Culture After Dark: the best museum late-night openings

A little more...

  • explore our cinema section

  • What the critics say

    Escobar review Cannes 2015

    ROGEREBERT.COM

    ''Basically, the protagonist is nowhere near as interesting as the title character, and so whenever Del Toro is off-camera, which is more than half the film, we feel his absence to the degree that one wonders if the film wouldn’t work better without the true figure behind it.'

    Brian Tallerico

    VARIETY

    'A fascinating Benicio Del Toro performance powers this enterprising B-movie about a naive young surfer falling prey to the toxic charms of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.'

    Scott Foundas

Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).

Trailer: Escobar, Paradise Lost

Benedicio del Toro

Thriller

Romance

Film

You might like

  • Still from Sicario film, Emily Blunt

    Sicario movie, Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro film 2015

  • Willem Dafoe as Pasolini

    Pasolini film review ★★★★★

  • Daniel Craig, Spectre, Bond film still

    Spectre, James Bond Movie 2015

  • Henry Cavill, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

    The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Film 2015



  • The Culture Whisper team
  • Support Us
  • Tickets
  • Contact us
  • Press
  • FAQ
  • Privacy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Cookies
  • Discover
  • Venues
  • Restaurants
  • Stations
  • Boroughs
Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
×