Review of Escobar: Paradise Lost (2014) by Harry W — 20 Aug 2016

Interested about the story behind Pablo Escobar and appreciative of Benecio Del Toro's talents as an actor, Paradise Lost sounded like an engaging crime film.

Paradise Lost has been frequently emphasized for having Pablo Escobar as a central character. In actuality, the film could not have less to do with him. Though Paradise Lost is loosely inspired by a supposed true story heard by Andrew Di Stefano, the entire film is a work of fiction. I'd be more willing to forgive this if the film could actually come up with some way to make use of the notorious gangster for its narrative, but it really doesn't. In his first film as a writer and director, Andrew Di Stefano creates a film which is all concept and no content since he reduces an iconic Colombian drug lord to being a generic supporting character in a romantic thriller. If Pablo Escobar had been given a different name in the film then nobody would have second guessed the film, but since Andrew Di Stefano insisted on using the name of a real-life figure it completely changes the standard of expectation. The film he ultimately directs out of it fails to live up to the standard, and his insistence on emphasizing the name of the character is his real downfall.

As a film about Pablo Escobar, Paradise Lost is in breach of its generic contract. Yet as a romantic thriller, Paradise Lost isn't so bad. Even though Paradise Lost is a Josh Hutcherson film, it isn't a teenage love story. There is actually a lot of burning passion in the romantic premise of Paradise Lost, even if it relies on sentimentality to support it at many times. Despite some of its conventional elements, Paradise Lost is actually a film rich in atmosphere which helps the drama in the romance seem very genuine. Yet the material does not go overboard as the romantic elements of the story are subtle in their dramatization. I usually find it difficult to stomach love stories, but Paradise Lost did it with some really genuine characters and proper language which gave it a feeling of realism. With the screenplay remaining restrained with its drama, the film never falters into a melodramatic descent. However, by being a subtle feature it also fails to be gritty when it needs to. When the film gets into being a crime thriller, it takes a lot of time for the atmosphere to develop into an intense state as it is all extremely slow. Once the mood of the film sets in the experience is really intense, but it takes a lot of waiting to get there and it's difficult to certify that it was a most satisfactory payoff. Given that in the process audiences have to deal with a tedious flashback structure which cuts between the past and modern day without any effective dramatization coming as a result, it is disruptive.

Nevertheless, Paradise Lost is not without its moments. As a whole the experience is long, slow and rather rudimentary. Yet there is much to appreciate about Andrew Di Stefano's sense of style. He is yet to master the art of proper narrative, but there is a lot of visual grace in the film. The scenery is beautiful, and the contrasting colour schemes between the beautiful beach life and the society dominated by Pablo Escobar manages to prove atmospheric. In actuality there are a lot of atmospheric moments in the film that come in later down the track, and the intensity in these scenes are empowered by the use of silence which is occasionally broken for the purpose of intense dialogue or the sound of a gunshot. The cinematography also helps the mood of things along the way.

But the most memorable thing I found in Paradise Lost caught me off guard. It was the performance of Josh Hutcherson. Since Josh Hutcherson has been predominantly recognized for his films that have been marketed for a younger audience, it's good to see him taking on a more adult-oriented role on Paradise Lost. Given that he also served as the executive producer it is clear that he was deeply involved with this film on multiple levels, and it really shows. Josh Hutcherson captures Nick Brady's youthful charms without resorting to any stereotype; he is not a braindead surfer or a cheesy lover boy. He is a very genuine adult learning what it is to experience love, and he is very much introverted about how he expresses it as he comes to terms with it. As the story goes on and presents a more threatening world for the character, Josh Hutcherson progressively grows more intense. He develops a fierce edge to him without neglecting the humanity of the role, and he captures a multitude of emotions along the way. Josh Hutcherson delivers an extremely mature and restrained performance in Paradise Lost which is subtle without being empty. He makes a sympathetic and extremely engaging screen presence.

Benicio Del Toro's performance as Pablo Escobar is the thing singled out by most critics as being the best part of the film. I must disagree as I found there to be no real significant in the performance aside from the fact that it's rather funny that it was an idea first suggested on the HBO series Entourage (2004-2011) which later became real. It is said that Pablo Escobar was ruthless and power-hungry, but I got none of that from Benicio Del Toro's performance in Paradise Lost. There are few situations in the film where I felt like Pablo Escobar had any real threatening presence or much power whatsoever, so I really just saw a somewhat heavyset man covered in facial hair speaking in a monotonous tone of voice. There was no power that come from Benicio Del Toro's performance in Paradise Lost since most of his time is spent just sitting around making arbitrary conversation with no power to back him. Given that the man is an Academy Award winning actor and the character is such an iconic one, I can't help but feel that Paradise Lost just betrays its audience on many levels.

However, Claudia Traisac makes a lovely screen presence. Being a naturally beautiful woman with a sweet charm to her, it is easy to see how Mike Brady falls in love with her. The chemistry that she shares with Josh Hutcherson is also really sweet. Brady Corbet and Ana Girardot also contribute some intense supporting performances.

Paradise Lost is a stylishly made and occasionally atmospheric romantic thriller with a strong central performance from Josh Hutcherson, but the slowly-paced narrative and misuse of Pablo Escobar as a character severely blunts the story's potential.