Monday, February 24, 2020

Review - Narcos: Mexico season 2


4 years into what I consider Netflix's crown jewel ( and my favourite series on the streaming service ), and it still kicks ass big time.

This time round, however, Scoot McNairy plays one of the lead characters instead of just doing the voiceover ( for season 1 ).
As DEA agent, Walt Breslin, he gets to finally flaunt his masculinity, from running a covert mission to capture and punish those responsible for a fellow agent's painful death, to engaging in bloody gunfights with the cartels.
I know him mainly from smaller roles in acclaimed films and TV shows like True Detective S3, Fargo S3 and Argo.
But he really caught my attention as Sheriff Bill McNue in Netflix's other crown jewel, Godless ( my second favourite series ), where he effortlessly transitioned from a sad, fearful lawman battling a personal crisis to a confident, ferocious fighter in the exhilarating finale.


His presence in Narcos is a major draw for me, the same way Paul Giamatti makes Billions so enjoyable.
He commands every scene and communicates so much with minimal or no dialogue and a stare.
But when he wields an assault weapon - that's when he's really in his element. The action scenes in Narcos have always been top notch. I have never been disappointed.


The other lead actor, Diego Luna, is equally terrific. He's come a long way from his boyish, scrawny days on Dirty Dancing 2!
As drug lord Felix Gallardo, he exudes quiet menace belying his benign appearance, and is completely believable as a cold-hearted cartel boss capable of the most horrific acts in the name of revenge.

Narcos has never received any award nomination, with critics and fans citing its unsavoury subject as the reason for the snubs.
This is a great injustice, considering its combination of exceptional actors, directors and writers.

As Luna mentioned in his interviews, the Narcos story deserves to be told. It isn't just about cartels and law enforcement agencies - the corruption extends all the way to the highest levels of government, with presidents colluding to conceal the truth from the public, cutting shady deals and lining their pockets.

If you have even half a brain, you should know that this sort of thing happens everywhere. We mere mortals mean nothing in the big picture, and lives will continue to be lost as long as those in power refuse to do the right thing.


Continuing with the same theme, I'm now reading Ronan Farrow's Catch and Kill, which chronicles his investigation of Harvey Weinstein's predatory crimes on women.
This morning, I read in the paper that the jury involved in his trial may be hung on the most serious criminal charge.
Considering his connections to many powerful people - including the Clintons - who knows if jury tampering occurred?
If he gets acquitted or only a slap on the wrist, you'll know why.

More next time.