Narcos
Executive Summary
Overview
Genres: Unique, genres, for, the, movie:, Crime, Thriller, Drama, Action
Setting: 1989, Bogota, Colombia
Themes: Morality and Ethics, Violence and Conflict, Power and Control, Addiction and its Consequences, Betrayal and Loyalty
Conflict and Stakes: The primary conflicts in this story include the DEA's pursuit of drug dealers, the operators' efforts to intercept phone calls and track Poison's location, and the tension between Peña and Murphy's differing views on morality. The stakes involve the potential capture or elimination of drug dealers, the impact on the drug trade, and the moral implications of the DEA's actions.
Overall Mood: Tense and suspenseful
Mood/Tone at Key Scenes:
- Scene 1: Tense and suspenseful
Standout Features:
- Historical Setting: The screenplay is set in 1980s Colombia, providing a unique and compelling backdrop for the story.
- Real-Life Characters: The inclusion of real-life drug dealers and law enforcement agents adds authenticity and intrigue to the story.
- Tense and Suspenseful Tone: The screenplay maintains a tense and suspenseful tone throughout, keeping the audience engaged and on the edge of their seats.
- Exploration of Morality: The screenplay delves into the moral complexities of law enforcement actions and the blurred lines between good and bad.
- High-Stakes Conflict: The pursuit of drug dealers and the potential impact on the drug trade create high-stakes conflict and tension in the story.
Comparable Scripts:
Writing Style:
The writing style of the screenplay is difficult to assess as no scene analyses have been provided.
Style Similarities:
Pass/Consider/Recommend
Consider
Explanation: The screenplay shows promise in effectively establishing the technological capabilities of the U.S. government, introducing the main character and setting up conflicts between the Narcos and the DEA. However, there is room for improvement in dialogue, character development, and smooth transitions between scenes. The screenplay would benefit from clearer stakes and consequences, stronger hooks, and more context on the emerald trade and Gacha's brutality. Overall, the narrative is engaging and explores the power dynamics of the drug trade, but could further develop character arcs and emotional connections.
USP: The Unique Selling Proposition in this screenplay is the combination of intense action, suspenseful storytelling, and a deep exploration of the moral complexities and consequences of the drug trade. It sets itself apart from other scripts in its genre by showcasing the high-tech surveillance capabilities of the U.S. government, providing informative insights into the effects of cocaine on the brain, and delving into the historical context of the drug war. This script will be of interest to its target audience by offering a gripping and thought-provoking narrative that goes beyond the typical tropes of the genre. It is compelling as a piece of storytelling because it presents a multi-dimensional portrayal of the characters involved, their motivations, and the impact of their actions.
Market Analaysis
Budget Estimate:$30-40 million
Target Audience Demographics: Adults aged 18-54, fans of crime dramas and historical thrillers
Marketability: The screenplay has a strong appeal to fans of crime dramas and historical thrillers, and the popularity of the Narcos series demonstrates the market demand for this type of content. The inclusion of real-life events and characters adds to the marketability.
Profit Potential: Moderate to high, as the screenplay appeals to a wide adult audience and has the potential for international distribution and streaming platform interest.
Analysis Criteria Percentiles
Writer's Voice
Summary:The writer's voice is characterized by a mix of urgency, intensity, and realism. The dialogue is gritty and realistic, while the narrative description is vivid and descriptive. The writer's voice adds depth to the screenplay by creating a sense of tension, danger, and moral ambiguity. It also explores themes of justice, the consequences of one's actions, and the complexities of the drug trade.
Best representation: Scene 9 - Cocaine Production and Business Deals. This scene could serve as the encapsulation of the writer's unique voice in the screenplay because it showcases their ability to blend humor and darkness, as well as provide insightful commentary on the characters and their actions.
Memorable Lines:
- Pablo Escobar: I am Pablo Fucking Escobar. My eyes are everywhere. You can't do a goddamn thing in Antioquia without me knowing about it. I'm going to be President of Colombia one day. (Scene 5)
- MURPHY (V.O.): It will choose cocaine over sleep, over sex, over life itself. (Scene 4)
- Pablo: I'll pay half a million for the head of a DEA agent. Fucking gringos. (Scene 14)
- Sure Shot: Hey, Beauty Queen! We're ugly but we're rich! (Scene 2)
- Nancy Reagan: So to my young friends out there, life can be great. But not when you can't see it. So open your eyes to life, to see it in the vivid colors that God gave us as a precious gift to His children. Say yes to your life. And when it comes to drugs and alcohol, just say no. (Scene 13)
Characters
Murphy:Male operator who provides voiceover and monitors phone calls
Poison:Drug dealer whose location is tracked by the operators
Javier Peña:DEA agent
Steve Murphy:DEA agent
Connie Murphy:Steve Murphy's wife
Horatio Carillo:DEA agent
Sure Shot:Trafficker
Cockroach:Drug dealer
Fabio Ochoa:Drug dealer
Juan David:Drug dealer
Jorge:Drug dealer
Jose Rodriguez Gacha:Drug dealer
Pablo Escobar:Drug lord
Gustavo:Pablo Escobar's associate
La Quica:Assassin
Colonel Herrera:Police officer
Nacho Ibarra:DEA agent
German Zapata:Drug dealer
Story Shape
The Percentile is against the screenplays in our library.
Percentile | ||
---|---|---|
Overall | 8.9 | 100 |
Concept | 7.9 | 64 |
Plot | 8.9 | 100 |
Characters | 8.0 | 36 |
Dialogue | 7.4 | 35 |
Emotional Impact | 7.7 | 76 |
Conflict Level | 8.8 | 90 |
At least one Character Changes in the scene | 6.7 | 80 |
Story Moves Forward | 8.9 | 100 |
High Stakes | 9.6 | 98 |
Internal Goal Score | 7.9 | 8 |
External Goal Score | 7.5 | 44 |
Originality Score | 6.4 | 33 |
Engagement Score | 8.7 | 67 |
Pacing Score | 8.5 | 62 |
Formatting Score | 8.9 | 15 |
Structure Score | 8.5 | 74 |
Screenplay Story Analysis
How scenes compare to the Scripts in our Library
Percentile | Before | After | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Plot | 8.9 | 99 | The usual suspects: 8.8 | Silence of the lambs: 8.9 |
Overall | 8.9 | 99 | Everything Everywhere All at Once: 8.8 | Silence of the lambs: 8.9 |
Story Forward | 8.9 | 98 | Silence of the lambs: 8.8 | The usual suspects: 8.9 |
High Stakes | 9.6 | 98 | The usual suspects: 9.4 | Narcos: 9.6 |
Conflict Level | 8.8 | 88 | LA confidential - draft: 8.7 | die hard: 8.8 |
Character Changes | 6.7 | 78 | Inglorious Basterds: 6.5 | Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance): 6.7 |
Structure | 8.54 | 73 | Breaking Bad: 8.53 | Narcos: 8.54 |
Emotional Impact | 7.7 | 73 | Mr Robot: 7.6 | sense 8: 7.7 |
Engagement | 8.69 | 65 | Fear and loathing in Las Vegas: 8.68 | Narcos: 8.69 |
Concept | 7.9 | 61 | The usual suspects: 7.8 | Titanic: 7.9 |
Pacing | 8.46 | 60 | Mr Robot: 8.44 | Narcos: 8.46 |
External Goal | 7.54 | 42 | Squid Game: 7.43 | Narcos: 7.54 |
Originality | 6.38 | 32 | Suits: 6.33 | Narcos: 6.38 |
Dialogue | 7.4 | 30 | The sweet hereafter: 7.3 | the dark knight rises: 7.4 |
Characters | 8.0 | 29 | Hors de prix: 7.9 | Donnie Darko: 8.0 |
Formatting | 8.85 | 13 | What we do in the shadows: 8.82 | Thor: 8.85 |
Internal Goal | 7.85 | 6 | Breaking bad: 7.83 | Narcos: 7.85 |
Story Content | Character Development | Scene Elements | Audience Engagement | Technical Aspects | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scene Number | Full Analysis | Tone | Overall Grade | Concept | Plot | Originality Score | Characters | Character Changes | Internal Goal | External Goal | Conflict | Opposition | High stakes | Story forward | Twist | Emotional Impact | Dialogue | Engagement | Pacing | Formatting | Structure |
1 | Descenso | Urgent, Complex, Fast-paced, Hard-hitting, Epic | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
2 | Surveillance and Capture | Intense, Suspenseful, Action-packed | 9 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
3 | The Bloodbath | Serious, Reflective, Intense | 9 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
4 | Cocaine and Smuggling | Suspenseful, Intense, Informative | 9 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 |
5 | The Showdown at La Dispensaria | Intense, Suspenseful, Dramatic | 9 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 |
6 | Drug Deal and Capture | Intense, Suspenseful, Dramatic | 9 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
7 | The Prank | Suspenseful, Humorous | 8 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 |
8 | The Drug Operation | Suspenseful, Intense, Dramatic | 9 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
9 | Smuggling Cocaine | Suspenseful, Informative | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
10 | Cocaine Production and Business Deals | Intense, Suspenseful, Serious | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
11 | Miami's Drug War | Dark, Intense, Gritty | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
12 | The Lost Load | Serious, Tense, Suspenseful | 9 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 |
13 | The Capture of La Quica | Violent, Intense, Serious | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
14 | The War Begins | Violent, Intense, Serious | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
Scene 1 - Descenso
Executive Producer: Eric Newman
Executive Producer: Jose Padilha
!
!
!
"Descenso"
Episode #101
Written by
Chris Brancato
Directed by
Jose Padilha
May 13, 2014
Cold Mountain Productions
Grand Electric
Note to the reader:
The assumption is that you've seen our director Jose Padilha's
"Elite Squad" films and that it has painted a picture for
you of what a modernist and masculine Latin American cinematic
approach feels like: urgent, complex, fast-paced, hard-hitting
and epic. And since you get it, you will also get that the
voice over you are about to read should not be experienced
like anything typical to Hollywood. The level at which the
images will confront you visually while Murphy's voice is in
your head are the full journey that guides you through this
descent from the birth of narco-trafficking into the darkness
of what men will do to WIN.
FADE UP ON:
EXT. ANDES MOUNTAIN RANGE - AERIAL VIEW - TWILIGHT
CAMERA SWOOPS over lush inland jungles, snow-capped volcanoes,
lush valleys, and alpine lakes.
OPERATOR #1 (O.S.)
Centra Spike is a go, we've reached
twenty thousand feet.
A small BEECHCRAFT AIRPLANE flies into FRAME.
OPERATOR #2 (O.S.)
Commencing intercept operations, we
are at zero-four-two-nine.
OPERATOR #1 (O.S.)
Encryption units, stand-by. Let's
crawl into some heads.
EXT. BOGOTA - AERIAL VIEW - NIGHT
The city twinkles, bounded by the eastern cordillera of the
Andes Mountain Range.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Nowadays, the U.S. government can
listen to anything you say. They
know where you are, they know who
you're talking to, they probably
know who you're fucking. Turn on a
cell phone and you're doomed.
A chyron appears: "Bogota, Colombia 1989"
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
But in Colombia in 1989, it wasn't
that easy. The only people who had
satellite phones were the filthy
rich. The landowners. The
politicians.
INT. FINCA - BOGOTA - NIGHT
CASH is stacked like cordwood.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Lucky for us, the Narcos were richer
than them all.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 2.
A couple of Makarov machine pistols lay on the table along
with a satellite phone. A HAND comes into FRAME.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Okay, good. He picked up the phone.
WIDENING, to reveal a mustachioed NARCO ("POISON") dialing a
number on his phone. A CONFEDERATE counts the cash.
POISON
(in Spanish)
Hello, Blackie? It's Poison. We're
going out tonight.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Now we owned him. And he didn't
even know it.
INT. BEECHCRAFT - NIGHT
Inside, we SEE a fifty-million-dollar spy plane crammed with
state-of-the-art electronic eavesdropping equipment. Two
MALE OPERATORS monitor calls on laptops.
MURPHY (V.O.)
We had software that identified the
specific voices of our targets.
When they talked, we listened.
AN ONBOARD COMPUTER
Providing instantaneous calculations. We HEAR the chatter
of intercepted phone calls in Spanish.
OPERATOR #1
We got Poison at 1400 to 1700
megahertz, gentlemen.
He scribbles notes on a pad: "POISON."
OPERATOR #2
Ground units, begin trilateration.
INT. VAN ON THE GROUND - NIGHT
Packed with surveillance gear. A TECHNICIAN in the back of
the van (American) checks his laptop.
TECHNICIAN
He's in the Zona Rosa.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 3.
OPERATOR #2 (O.S.)
Can you be more specific? Police
units are standing by.
INT. FINCA - BOGOTA - NIGHT
Poison knocks back an aguardiente.
POISON
(in Spanish)
La Dispensaria. I have a table
outside. Midnight.
INT. BEECHCRAFT - NIGHT
OPERATOR #1
Never mind. Negative on the ground
assault. This fuckwad just told us
where he's going.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Poison didn't know it, but he'd made
himself a date.
Operator #1 removes his headset.
OPERATOR #1
Who do we give this to? DEA?
OPERATOR #2
Yeah. Let's give it to Javier Peña.
OPERATOR #1
Peña's an asshole. I'm gonna give
it to the other guy.
Ratings
Scene 2 - Surveillance and Capture
STEVE MURPHY, 30s, stands amidst domestic chaos: a baby cries
loudly, the phone rings off the hook. He has the physicality
and charm of a West Virginia upbringing.
MURPHY (V.O.)
By the "other guy," he meant me. My
name is Steve Murphy. I'm DEA and
as you can see, I'm deeply embedded
in Colombia.
He receives into his arms a beautiful, crying COLOMBIAN BABY,
handed to him by CONNIE MURPHY, 30s.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 4.
CONNIE
Honey, can you change her?
Connie is effortlessly sexy, a former ER nurse. She moves
off to answer the phone. Murphy places the baby on the
changing table as though handling a live hand grenade.
CONNIE (O.S.) (CONT'D)
It's for you!
He grabs the phone, cradles it under his neck.
MURPHY
Hello?
(listens)
Okay. Hold on. Gimme a sec.
He puts the baby in her crib, and grabs a pen and scribbles
"Poison" and "La Dispensaria, 12AM" on a notepad.
MURPHY (CONT'D)
Got it, thanks.
The baby starts to cry.
MURPHY (CONT'D)
Hold on, sweetpea. Daddy's coming.
He dials another number.
MURPHY (CONT'D)
(on phone)
Poison will be at La Dispensaria at
around midnight with his crew.
Murphy grabs a new diaper from a stack.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
I would've loved to go after Poison
myself, but DEA is restricted in a
foreign country.
Murphy fumbles some talcum into the diaper. He lifts the
BABY'S TINY BOTTOM to put it on.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
We're not supposed to do ground
operations. Our role's to "inform"
and "advise." So I did just what
you would do. I called the cops.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 5.
EXT. CAFE - BOGOTA - NIGHT
HORATIO CARILLO, 30s, a well-dressed Colombian with a cheery
demeanor, talks on a clunky cell phone.
CARILLO
La Dispensaria. Copy that.
He clicks off, smiles at his dinner companion.
CARILLO (CONT'D)
Guess who that was? Your partner.
We see JAVIER PEÑA, 30s, Mexican-American, enjoying his
scotch. He's casual in a collared shirt and jeans.
CARILLO (CONT'D)
(rising)
Gotta go.
PEÑA
Gonna stick me with the bill, huh?
CARILLO
I have to get the gift your partner
just delivered.
PEÑA
No kidding. Who?
CARILLO
Poison.
He starts off, turns back.
CARILLO (CONT'D)
Does your buddy know how I'm gonna
package it?
PEÑA
Oh yeah. He's no fool. I'll get
the bill, you cheap sonofabitch.
Carillo turns and walks toward CAMERA.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Colonel Carillo was one of the leaders
of "Search Bloc," a unit we helped
create to capture the bad guys.
(MORE)
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 6.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
But at heart he was like any Colombian
police officer. He didn't have a
lot of love for the Narcos.
CUT TO:
CHA-CHUCK. A SHOTGUN is cocked.
CARILLO
(in Spanish)
We're on, fellas.
INT. SPECIAL OPS VAN - NIGHT
Carillo addresses six MEN IN BODY ARMOR. The van's an armory:
Browning rifles, H&K small machine guns, etc. The men pull
on ski masks.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Midnight in the Zona Rosa. Party
time.
EXT. LA DISPENSARIA - NIGHT
The Zona Rosa is alive with music, revelers, excitement.
SEVEN TOUGH MEN are seated at an outdoor table. Poison is
packing his Makarov in a fancy leather holster.
POISON
(in Spanish)
Come join us, beautiful!
He's propositioning a DOE-EYED COLOMBIAN GIRL walking down
the street. His men make catcalls.
ANGLE - THE DOE-EYED COLOMBIAN GIRL
She smiles, pretends she's interested. She knows better
than to ignore these men.
WIDE SHOT - LA DISPENSARIA
The restaurant. The beautiful girl. The dealers.
SURE SHOT
(in Spanish)
Hey, Beauty Queen! We're ugly but
we're rich!
BAM! His head blows off. Everyone goes for their weapons.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 7.
CAMERA WHIP PANS
The Men in Body Armor advance, guns blazing as we--
FREEZE FRAME
FADE TO BLACK.
A long beat. Dead silence.
FADE UP ON:
EXT. LA DISPENSARIA - SUNRISE
A SHUTTER clicks, a photo taken. Bodies lay splayed across
the outdoor cafe. A bloodbath.
MURPHY (O.S.)
Javi, we hit a home run.
REVERSING, to find Steve Murphy with a camera and a phone.
He steps into a cordoned crime scene, with EIGHT CORPSES and
a dozen COLOMBIAN NATIONAL POLICE.
MURPHY (O.S.) (CONT'D)
Got "Poison." We got "Bad Mouth."
We got "Blackie." Three or four of
them I can't ID.
Colonel Carillo squats over one of the corpses. He turns
his face TOWARDS CAMERA.
CARILLO
(in Spanish)
Murphy, you won't believe this.
He gestures to a dead body. Face half blown off.
MURPHY
Javier, we got a bonus. "Sure Shot"
has met his maker.
(another look)
At least I think it's "Sure Shot."
INTERCUT WITH:
CLOSE - ON JAVIER PEÑA
PEÑA
No shit! He was there?! Great.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 8.
Ratings
Scene 3 - The Bloodbath
Peña stands in the DEA offices of the Embassy, beside a "tree
chart" of numerous traffickers and sicarios (hit men).
MURPHY (V.O.)
Peña had wanted that motherfucker
off the tree for months.
PEÑA
I'm so happy I'll even forgive those
assholes at Centra Spike for giving
the intel to you.
MURPHY (O.S.)
Hell, I'm prettier than you are.
Peña removes a MUGSHOT of Juan Corrales Botero, aka "Sure
Shot," from the trafficker tree. He thinks of something,
stops yanking pictures--
PEÑA
Any humans involved?
MURPHY
Yeah. A bystander caught a stray.
ON MURPHY, walking toward a sprawled body.
CLOSE - ON THE DOE-EYED COLOMBIAN GIRL.
She lays face up, eyes glassy in death, a clean bullet hole
in her temple. Murphy's VOICE carries over--
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
I wouldn't blame you if you held me
responsible for this bloodbath.
CLICK. REVERSING, to find MURPHY, peering through his camera.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Yeah, I pushed the buttons. But
don't call me a bad guy just yet.
He lowers the camera as we --
FREEZE FRAME: MURPHY
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Good and bad are relative concepts.
CUT TO:
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 9.
PRESIDENT NIXON, giving a speech. (ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE)
PRESIDENT NIXON
The more you stay in this kind of
job, the more you realize that a
public figure, a major public figure,
is a lonely man.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Take Richard Nixon, for instance.
People forget, but 47 million
Americans voted for Nixon. We thought
he was one of the good guys.
GENERAL PINOCHET, the dictator of Chile. (ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE)
GENERAL PINOCHET
The rich people are those who create
wealth, and you have to treat them
well so they continue to give wealth.
MURPHY (V.O.)
And Nixon thought Chilean General
Augusto Pinochet was a good guy `cause
he hated the commies. So we helped
Pinochet seize power.
CHILEAN DEATH SQUADS, slaughter and civilian protest, the
March of the Disappeared. (ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE)
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Then Pinochet turned around and killed
thousands of people. Maybe not such
a good guy after all.
EXT. JUNGLE - CHILE - DAY
Thick, forested northern Chile.
MURPHY (V.O.)
But sometimes bad guys do good things.
To kiss Nixon's ass, Pinochet went
after the cocaine labs.
EXT. DEEP JUNGLE LAB - CHILE - DAY
A tented jungle lab with white-smocked WORKERS.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Nobody knows this, but back in `73
Chile was on its way to being the
(MORE)
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 10.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
world's biggest cocaine processing
and exporting center. They had
jungles to hide the labs and miles
of unpatrolled coastline to send the
product north.
CUT TO:
CHILEAN SOLDIERS crash through the forest.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
But Pinochet spoiled the party. He
shut down 33 labs and arrested 346
drug dealers.
The SOLDIERS invade the lab. DRUG WORKERS quickly give
themselves up, lacing hands behind their heads. One of them
is MATEO MORENO, a low-level manager.
EXT. DEEP JUNGLE LAB - CHILE - LATER
A bunch of DEALERS, hands tied behind them, are lined up in
front of a firing squad.
MURPHY (V.O.)
And then-- being Pinochet-- he had
them all killed.
Moreno is scared shitless. His body quivers.
CHILEAN SOLDIER
(in Spanish)
Ready. Aim. Fire.
A FUSILLADE OF GUNFIRE. The dealers collapse.
EXT. JUNGLE - CHILE - LATER
SOLDIERS toss the bodies in a mass grave.
MURPHY (V.O.)
They say when a nuclear holocaust
destroys the world, only the
cockroaches will survive.
CLOSE - ON A MASS GRAVE
Beneath the corpses, there is movement. A solitary man fights
his way out of the grave, frantically pushing aside the bodies
to emerge, covered in blood.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 11.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
I guess they were right.
CLOSE - MATEO MORENO, wild-eyed.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
The bullets missed Mateo Moreno, aka
"Cockroach," and he was smart enough
to play dead. He wasn't killed on
that day...
INT. SHACK - CHILE - DAY
Cockroach bursts through the door.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Instead, he won the damn lottery.
His WIFE approaches, horrified.
COCKROACH
Start packing. We have to leave the
country. Pinochet wants to kill me.
COCKROACH'S WIFE
You're a communist?!
COCKROACH
No, I'm a fucking drug dealer!
CLOSE: ON A DRAWER
Cockroach slides it open to reveal a KILO OF COKE.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Cockroach had been stealing from his
bosses for months. Now he was left
alone in the world with the perfect
product. A product whose offer
creates its own demand.
CUT TO:
OVERHEAD SHOT - A MAZE
A RAT scurries through the maze at lightning speed.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Back then, we were just finding out
about the effects of cocaine on the
human brain. We didn't know much,
but we knew it was powerful shit.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 12.
Ratings
Scene 4 - Cocaine and Smuggling
The rat reaches the end of the maze and hits a lever.
WIDER, to reveal a PROFESSOR instructing a STUDENT.
PROFESSOR
Make sure the retractable levers are
extended into the box.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Cocaine hijacks pleasure centers in
the brain. A rat will choose cocaine
over food and water.
PROFESSOR
Record locomotor activity after the
subject self-administers.
CLOSE - ON THE RAT
It hits the LEVER again and again.
MURPHY (V.O.)
It will choose cocaine over sleep,
over sex, over life itself.
WIDER, as the Professor walks out--
PROFESSOR
Make sure you refill the Merck
containers as needed. Let's see if
self-administration leads to
starvation.
He exits. The Student examines the vial of flaky-pink Merck
cocaine, pours some on the counter.
MURPHY (V.O.)
The human brain isn't quite the same
as a rodent's...
The Student SNORTS a line of coke.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Unless we're talking about cocaine.
EXT. BORDER - PERU/COLOMBIA - DAY
Cockroach's Renault pulls to a checkpoint. His wife sits in
the passenger seat.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 13.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Cockroach knew he had the perfect
product. He just needed to smuggle
it to the right markets. And the
best smugglers in the world were in
Colombia.
The sign above the border patrol says: "COLOMBIA."
CUT TO:
A QUARTER HORSE, doing "dainty-steps" in a ring.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Like Goldilocks, he had three options.
And pay attention, because all three
are important to this story.
EXT. HORSE RIDING RING - MEDELLÍN - DAY
A horse show. FABIO OCHOA rides a "dainty-step" quarter
horse as its hooves blur with mincing, cartoon-like speed.
MURPHY (V.O.)
The Ochoa Brothers: Jorge, Juan David,
and that's Fabio. The typical
Colombian smuggling family: they
made a fortune from contraband.
Brothers JUAN DAVID and JORGE, wearing Polo shirts next to
their beautiful GIRLFRIENDS, applaud.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
They were smart and handsome, but
Cockroach felt the high life had
made them soft...
The horse is so steady that Fabio balances a teacup on his
head without dropping it.
CUT TO:
CLOSE - JOSE RODRIGUEZ GACHA
Steps into FRAME, wearing a sombrero and holding a carbine.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
There was Jose Rodriguez Gacha -
nicknamed "The Mexican" for his love
of tequila and sombreros. He
dominated the emerald smuggling
routes.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 14.
Ratings
Scene 5 - The Showdown at La Dispensaria
REVERSING, to find a sophisticated cocktail party.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Emeralds were a pretty rough trade
even by Colombian standards. If you
make it to the top, it means you've
killed your enemies and...
GACHA'S PARTNER
Hey partner, what are you doing here?
Gacha and two GUNMEN mow down the party guests with their
machine guns. Smokey, horrible carnage.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Cockroach worried that the emerald
trade had made Gacha too hard...
Gacha and his men exit the party.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
So he zeroed in on his third option.
A man who Cockroach knew would be
"just right..."
TIGHT: ON PABLO ESCOBAR
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Yeah. You guessed it. Pablo Escobar.
The man who would change my life
forever.
Pablo calmly pops a Chiclet in his mouth. He's driving in
the front seat of a jeep.
CAMERA PULLING BACK
To reveal his cousin GUSTAVO, late 20s, as passenger.
CAMERA RISES HIGHER
There's a FOUR-AXLE TRUCK driving behind the jeep.
RISING STILL HIGHER - OVERHEAD SHOT
Thirty TRUCKS behind the jeep, passing through FRAME.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 15.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Pablo was making a killing in the
smuggling business. Stolen goods,
cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, you
name it. If there was a market,
Pablo would supply it.
CUT TO:
OVER THE SHOULDER: A COP
A police checkpoint. Pablo pulls to a stop. There are ten
heavily armed DAS AGENTS.
MURPHY (V.O.)
At that time, Pablo owned every
policeman in Medellín. But DAS was
Colombia's version of the FBI. They
didn't play by the same rules.
A DAS AGENT steps up to the jeep.
PABLO
Good day.
DAS AGENT
Are you Pablo Escobar?
PABLO
Yes. Where's Felipo?
DAS AGENT
He's been arrested.
DAS Agent gestures. Felipo's being dragged to an unmarked
sedan in handcuffs. He's been beaten to a pulp.
PABLO
Hey, this is bullshit, man. Felipo
works for me.
DAS AGENT
He used to work for you. Now he's
going to jail.
GUSTAVO
Do you know who you're talking to?
DAS AGENT
Shut the fuck up.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 16.
PABLO
Please, Gustavo. Show respect. Let
Mr. Herrera speak.
DAS AGENT
How do you know my name?
PABLO
(pointing)
You're Colonel Jose Luis Herrera.
That's Nacho Ibarra. There's Garcia.
Lopez. Pinella. Esperanza.
The DAS AGENTS are stunned. How does he know their names?
HERRERA
Open the fucking trucks.
CUT TO:
A TRUCK PANEL DOOR ROLLS OPEN.
Pablo and Herrera stand by the truck. Other DAS AGENTS
inspect the contents: crates of Johnny Walker, Marlboros,
television sets and toys.
HERRERA
Who the fuck do you think you are?
You don't even bother to hide your
contraband?
PABLO
I pay for the privilege.
NACHO IBARRA peers down at Pablo from inside the truck.
IBARRA
Where are your import papers? You
need the papers for these TV sets.
PABLO
Take the television.
IBARRA
Sorry, Escobar. We're not Medellín
cops making fifty pesos a week.
PABLO
It's not for you. It's for Carlito.
Your son. Wouldn't he like a TV in
his room?
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 17.
Ibarra is shocked. But Pablo's turned his attention to
another agent on the truck.
PABLO (CONT'D)
Hey, Pinella. Your daughter just
got her driver's license, right?
Pioneer makes a nice car stereo.
He turns to yet another guy.
PABLO (CONT'D)
Lopez. Your wife is beautiful.
What's she doing with a guy like
you? I think she deserves some
jewelry. Should I get a couple of
my guys to drop it off?
The DAS Agents, at first so tough and sure of themselves,
are now soft as jello.
PABLO (CONT'D)
(calmly)
Gentlemen, let me tell you who I am.
I am Pablo Fucking Escobar. My eyes
are everywhere. You can't do a
goddamn thing in Antioquia without
me knowing about it. I'm going to
be President of Colombia one day.
The DAS Agents are transfixed.
PABLO (CONT'D)
I make deals for a living. You can
accept my deal or accept the
consequences for not taking it.
From each of the thirty truck cabs, DRIVERS emerge with tire
irons, guns, clubs. One of them we recognize as--
POISON
AR-15 assault rifle propped on his arm.
PABLO
pulls a wad of cash.
PABLO (CONT'D)
Silver or lead. Your choice. Now
why don't we negotiate a bit and we
can all leave happy. Deal?
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 18.
Over this, the sounds of merriment...
CUT TO:
Ratings
Scene 6 - Drug Deal and Capture
Pablo and Gustavo are drinking beer in a raucous bar filled
with pretty girls. They're drunk and happy.
PABLO
It's an interesting proposal.
REVERSING, we see Cockroach. His leather bag rests on the
table with the KILO OF COKE clearly visible.
COCKROACH
If you're with me, I can take you to
Peru. Show you where I buy the paste.
You smuggle it here, I teach you how
to turn it into powder. Then we
sell it all over Colombia.
GUSTAVO
How much does it cost?
COCKROACH
In Chile, we sold it for ten dollars
a gram.
PABLO
You sell it by the gram?
Cockroach dumps a line onto the table.
COCKROACH
This much keeps a person flying for
twenty minutes. When the effect
wears off, you want more.
He sniffs the line with a rolled-up bill. Pablo and Gustavo
share a glance.
GUSTAVO
(to Pablo)
If this shit is so good, we could
find room on our trucks.
COCKROACH
We move it to all the major cities:
Bogota, Cartegna, Baranquilla. We'll
make a fortune.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 19.
PABLO
You think small, my friend.
(then)
If it costs ten dollars a gram here,
how much do you think it will cost
in Miami?
CUT TO:
EXT. SOUTH BEACH - MIAMI - DAY
A wide expanse of white sand beach and pearl blue ocean.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Back then, Miami was a paradise.
I'd signed up for the sand, surf and
women.
A chyron appears:
"Miami, 1979."
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
In `79, the bad guys I was chasing
wore flip-flops--
CLOSE: ON FLIP-FLOPS
Slapping across the pavement. TILT UP to reveal TWO SURFERS
(one with a backpack) racing PAST CAMERA.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
I was a young DEA agent, partnered
with my buddy Kevin Samms.
MURPHY (CONT'D)
Stop, DEA!
Murphy sprints past CAMERA.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Kevin had a few pounds to lose.
NEW ANGLE: KEVIN SAMMS
Overweight, huffing for breath.
WIDER
Murphy (younger) and Kevin, 20s, chase the Surfers down on
the promenade. One of the Surfers trips over his flip-flops,
smashes to the ground.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 20.
The other Surfer tumbles over the prone body of his friend.
CLOSE - ON MURPHY
Gun out, ultra-serious, pouncing on the Surfers.
MURPHY (CONT'D)
Face down. Gimme hands!
Murphy cuffs the Surfer. Kevin arrives, huffing.
KEVIN
He told you to stop, you sonsabitches!
He grabs the backpack off the ground.
MURPHY
What do we got?
Kevin opens the backpack and extracts a large pillow of
MARIJUANA wrapped in plastic.
KEVIN
We got ourselves a promotion, my
man. Let's celebrate.
CUT TO:
Ratings
Scene 7 - The Prank
Thumping music, filled with partyers. Kevin sits with other
DEA GUYS, celebrating their bust. In the background, Murphy
is getting another pitcher at the bar.
DEA #1
Who do we pick?
DEA #2
How about her?
DEA #2 points to a BLONDE GIRL at another table.
KEVIN
No, no. Let's fuck him up.
DEA GUY #1
Let's mess with his head.
KEVIN
Yeah, let's go for her.
THEIR P.O.V. - CONNIE
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 21.
Connie - seen at the top of the script - sits at the bar
with a FRIEND.
DEA #1 (O.S.)
She's hot.
MURPHY
returns with a cold pitcher of beer. Unaware that he's about
to be the subject of a prank.
KEVIN
Hey, Murph, Sparrow 3 o'clock,
checking you out.
Kevin chin nods to Connie. Murphy steals a glance.
DEA #1
You were walking back from the bar,
she was checking out your ass.
MURPHY
Get the fuck outta here.
KEVIN
She wasn't checking out your ass,
but she eye-fucked you all the way
back to the table. I'm not kidding,
man. For real.
MURPHY
The tan one?
KEVIN
She had eyes on you, man.
The DEA GUYS egg him on: Go for it/C'mon, Pussy/Man up!
MURPHY
You serious?
KEVIN
If I'm lying, I'm dying.
MURPHY
(a beat)
Fuck it. I'm going in...
DEA GUYS
Murph's flying in/Get another pitcher
while you're up there.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 22.
AT THE BAR - CONNIE AND HER PRETTY FRIEND
They're watching the Miami/Florida State game on the
television. Murphy approaches with a smile.
MURPHY
Hey, how are you?
CONNIE
(barely a glance)
Busy.
He looks back at his table.
HIS P.O.V. - THE DEA GUYS
They're busting a gut laughing. Gotcha sucker!
MURPHY
starts back toward his table.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Those bastards got me. But I couldn't
let it end like that.
He turns and goes back to Connie and her friend.
MURPHY (CONT'D)
Listen. I'm sorry. See those guys
over there? They're fucking with
me. They said you were checking out
my ass. Who checks out a cop's ass?
CONNIE
You're a cop? Strike two.
MURPHY
Not a cop, actually. I'm D-E-A.
CONNIE
A narc. Strike three.
Connie's Pretty Friend chimes in--
PRETTY FRIEND
Drug Enforcement? So you're the one
making pot more expensive.
MURPHY
(lightly)
It's against the law, ma'am.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 23.
CONNIE
(laughing)
Be careful. He'll arrest you.
MURPHY
Help me out here. I wanna show those
assholes up. C'mon. Give me your
phone number.
CONNIE
How about a fake phone number?
MURPHY
That'll work.
Connie digs a pen and a scrap of paper from her purse. She
scrawls "Connie" and a phone number.
MURPHY (CONT'D)
Sorry for the bother.
AT THE TABLE
Murphy returns, flapping the scrap of paper.
MURPHY
Read it and weep, assholes.
The DEA Guys are suitably impressed.
INT. MURPHY'S APARTMENT - MIAMI - NIGHT
Murphy sits on his bed in a messy bachelor apartment. He
stares at the scrap of paper.
MURPHY (V.O.)
I figured what the hell. Worst that
could happen was I'd wake up some
grandmother in Boca.
He dials the number.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. ANOTHER APARTMENT - MIAMI - NIGHT
Someone grabs the ringing phone off the receiver.
CONNIE
Hello?
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 24.
MURPHY (O.S.)
So it wasn't a fake.
CONNIE
Thought you might figure it out.
After all, you're D-E-A.
Murphy smiles.
MURPHY (V.O.)
And just like that, she had me.
CUT TO:
PABLO ESCOBAR
eyes shining.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
The minute Pablo laid his eyes on
the paste-processing lab in Peru,
cocaine had him.
Ratings
Scene 8 - The Drug Operation
Thickly forested. A half dozen WORKERS (men and children)
trample coca leaves in a large plastic-lined VAT filled with
water and bleach.
COCKROACH, PABLO AND GUSTAVO
are shown around by the LAB MANAGER. He gestures to another
large VAT being filled with KEROSENE.
LAB MANAGER
The kerosene separates the drug from
the leaf.
A worker scoops a PLASTIC BUCKET of the brownish kerosene
mixture and adds Ammonium from a bottle. The liquid in the
bucket blooms WHITE like cream in coffee.
GUSTAVO
Look at that.
LAB MANAGER
Ammonium is added to make the paste.
CLOSE - ON THE BUCKET
Now containing a gummy, yellowish solid. The solid is dumped
onto a bed sheet.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 25.
WIDER, as a WORKER squeezes the bed sheet to remove the excess
kerosene, leaving a one-kilo chunk of paste.
GUSTAVO
We'll take a kilo.
LAB MANAGER
A whole kilo. Great.
PABLO
No.
LAB MANAGER
(to Cockroach)
You said one kilo.
PABLO
We'll take five.
COCKROACH
How do we get five across the border?
PABLO
Gustavo will figure it out. Always
does.
CUT TO:
EXT. RENAULT CAR LOT - PERU - DAY
Gustavo shows Pablo and Cockroach a yellow Renault 4S.
GUSTAVO
Check the wheel-well. It's huge.
A CAR SALESMAN approaches them.
CAR SALESMAN
It's a great choice. 22.5 horsepower.
More than the Citroen 2CV. It's
comfortable and the gasoline
consumption --
PABLO
(to Salesman)
Is it easy to remove the wheel?
The Salesman never heard that one.
CAR SALESMAN
What?
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 26.
GUSTAVO
(to Pablo)
We only have to do it once. Trust
me - I can fit 5K in there.
PABLO
Ok. I will take it. Three cars,
please.
The Salesman can’t believe his ears.
SALESMAN
Did you say three?
GUSTAVO
(to Cockroach)
I guess we're going back to the lab...
COCKROACH
Why?
GUSTAVO
(to Cockroach)
Five kilos per wheel-well, equals
twenty kilos per car. Three cars,
sixty kilos.
Pablo claps Cockroach on the back.
PABLO
At nine dollars profit per gram...
EXT. PERUVIAN MOUNTAIN ROAD - AERIAL VIEW - SUNRISE
The beautiful panorama of the lush Peruvian mountains.
MURPHY (V.O.)
That's five hundred thousand dollars
per trip - using the same smuggling
routes he always used.
A paved road cuts a ribbon through the dense foliage. THREE
RENAULT R4S appear from FRAME LEFT, snaking through the pass.
LOW ANGLE
Pablo drives the one up front.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Easiest money he ever made.
CUT TO:
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 27.
INT. COCAINE KITCHEN - BELEN, COLOMBIA - NIGHT
A cramped kitchen with three COOKS in smocks. Cockroach
teaches Pablo and Gustavo the next part of the process.
COCKROACH
The hydrochloric acid turns the base
into crystal.
GUSTAVO
It smells in here.
COCKROACH
That's the acetone.
Cockroach presses a button. A DOZEN LAMPS light up on top
of the damp cocaine crystals.
PABLO
And what’s with all those lights?
COCKROACH
Drying.
EXT. COCAINE KITCHEN - BELEN, COLOMBIA - NIGHT
Light floods from the windows, illuminating the house like a
Christmas tree. Pablo and Gustavo watch PAINTERS close the
windows and start to apply a black coat of paint to the glass.
Sulfurous smoke pours from the window cracks.
GUSTAVO
Isn't this going to suffocate the
workers?
PABLO
Let’s build a chimney.
CUT TO:
A WOMAN'S HANDS, with a sewing needle.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Like her son, Pablo's mother Hermilda
was very resourceful.
INT. HERMILDA'S HOUSE - MEDELLÍN - NIGHT
HERMILDA ESCOBAR, 50s, places down the needle and holds up
what she's been sewing.
A JACKET
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 28.
Lined with secret compartments.
PABLO
Mama, I love it. How much do you
think I can fit in there?
Hermilda inspects the jacket.
MURPHY (V.O.)
In Colombia, even the women have a
tradition of smuggling.
HERMILDA
I guess about 5 kilos. Just make
sure someone else is wearing it.
CUT TO:
THE LION, a regal Colombian with a healthy mane of hair.
MURPHY (V.O.)
That someone would be "The Lion," a
friend of Pablo's who'd spent his
childhood in the United States.
INT. EL DORADO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - BOGOTA - DAY
WIDENING, as the Lion (wearing Hermilda's jacket) walks toward
a line that reads "Customs." Lion easily passes through the
customs line.
Ratings
Scene 9 - Smuggling Cocaine
Lion emerges from the arrival gate, behind someone in a
Dolphins jersey. He looks around.
A VOICE (O.S.)
Yo man, what's up?!
Lion grins.
REVERSING, to find CARLOS LEHDER, 30s, a deep tan, a "John
Lennon" t-shirt, and a swastika tattooed on his arm.
MURPHY (V.O.)
And that's Carlos Lehder. Half
Colombian, half German, one hundred
percent playboy. Big fan of John
Lennon and Adolf Hitler. Go figure.
The two men hug. Lehder eyes Lion.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 29.
LEHDER
It's hot man. Why the fuck are you
wearing a jacket?
MURPHY (V.O.)
Back in '79 Lehder was flying bales
of grass up from Colombia on a fleet
of small planes.
INT. CAR - LONG TERM PARKING LOT - DAY
Lehder sits behind the wheel of a boat Cadillac. Lion pulls
a bag of COCAINE from inside his "secret" jacket.
LION
It's the perfect product.
LEHDER
I did a bit in jail, remember? I
saw this stuff. It's poison.
LION
Pablo thinks the gringos will love
it.
LEHDER
It will fuck their brains up - that’s
for sure.
The Lion opens the car door and steps outside.
LEHDER (CONT'D)
Where are you going?
Lion shows Lehder a plane ticket.
LION
Back home. Pick me up tomorrow.
EXT. MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - DAY
A PLANE takes off.
MURPHY (V.O.)
The Lion made more than twenty flights
between Medellín and Miami - drugs
in, cash out. And the rich and famous
in Miami snorted every single gram
of it. In no time, Pablo had to
replace his cars with trucks...
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 30.
EXT. PERUVIAN MOUNTAIN ROAD - AERIAL VIEW - SUNRISE
A paved road cuts a ribbon through the forest.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Gustavo had the trucks filled to the
brim with potatoes, the major item
Colombia imported from Peru. Didn't
even have to bribe the cops.
Several TRUCKS filled to the brim with potatoes appear from
FRAME LEFT, snaking their way through the pass.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
The coke paste was hidden in the
spare tires. Each tire could fit
about 20 kilos. Ten trucks, twenty
kilos each, going back and forth
everyday. You do the math. It's
more money than you can imagine. No
way the Lion could transport it all.
LOW ANGLE
One of the trucks passes by Colombian customs, a spare tire
attached to it.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Pretty soon, the Lion had to come up
with new ways to smuggle the drug to
Miami.
INT. COCAINE KITCHEN - BELEN, COLOMBIA - DAY
The Lion teaches several YOUNG WOMEN how to eat condoms filled
up with cocaine. Three of them are pregnant.
LION
Wait a second - we got a problem
here. You three, step this way.
The three PREGNANT WOMEN step to the right. They're
disappointed they can't share in this bonanza.
LION (CONT'D)
U.S. Customs doesn't search pregnant
women. I think you can swallow sixty
pellets instead of fifty.
The women nod.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 31.
INT. COCAINE KITCHEN - BELEN, COLOMBIA - LATER
The Lion teaches a COMMERCIAL PILOT and a STEWARD how to
hide cocaine in their luggage.
MURPHY (V.O.)
During the early 80s most AVIANCA
flights out of Bogota had several
mules on them - they didn't even
know about each other.
INT. MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - DAY
COMMERCIAL AIRPLANE PILOTS, YOUNG WOMEN and STEWARDS walk
right through the U.S. CUSTOMS.
MURPHY (V.O.)
And you know what? Getting in was
easy, because nobody was worried
about cocaine in America. All we
cared about was grass.
Everyone walks right in.
MONTAGE: VARIOUS LOCATIONS (PER PRODUCTION)
FISHERMEN put COCAINE bags inside fish and take to the sea.
COCAINE bags are inserted into OLIVE OIL cans and coffee
packages.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Pretty soon cocaine was hidden in
almost every legit Colombian export.
Fish, coffee, olive oil, rubber
hoses... You name it. But even that
didn't do it. The real game-changer
was filling Lehder's planes with
coke instead of weed.
EXT. MEDELLÍN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - DAY
Pablo and Gustavo negotiate with Carlos Lehder in front of a
KING AIR airplane.
GUSTAVO
How much weight can you carry?
LEHDER
Where to?
GUSTAVO
Miami.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 32.
LEHDER
About a thousand kilos, including
the fuel.
GUSTAVO
What if we take out all the seats,
and leave room just for the pilot?
Lehder stares at Gustavo, puzzled.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Six months after meeting with
Cockroach, Pablo was establishing
the first dedicated Narco route from
Colombia to America.
AERIAL SHOT - a KING AIR plane flies really low over the
ocean, approaching the Bahamas. (ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE)
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
A real milestone in the story of
narcotics.
INSIDE THE PLANE - Lehder flies the plane. Behind him,
several loads of coke.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Then Pablo closed the kitchen and
started opening cocaine labs in the
middle of the jungle -
Ratings
Scene 10 - Cocaine Production and Business Deals
A tented jungle lab with white-smocked WORKERS. Ten times
bigger than the one Cockroach managed in Chile.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Under the canopy cover of the
Colombian rainforest, he could expand
his production capacity indefinitely
without anyone noticing it.
Cockroach trains the workers in the arts and sciences of
cocaine production - he's sweating, mosquitoes all over his
face as a CESSNA AIRPLANE lands in an airstrip next to the
lab - Gustavo and Pablo step outside - followed by two
beautiful HOOKERS.
Cockroach approaches them.
GUSTAVO
Hello, Moreno.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 33.
PABLO
(re: hookers)
We brought you a gift. Brazilians -
best asses in the world.
Cockroach eyes the women.
COCKROACH
How come you guys are flying about
in planes and I am stuck here in the
fucking jungle - living in a fucking
shack - among fucking mosquitoes and
cobras?
Gustavo notices the shacks where the workers live.
GUSTAVO
You are right, Moreno. I’m sorry.
PABLO
From now on I'll build a big air-
conditioned house in all my labs -
just for you.
Cockroach looks at Pablo, pissed.
COCKROACH
Those are my labs, Pablo. My labs.
GUSTAVO
Of course they are, partner.
(tapping Cockroach)
Now show us what you got.
INT. HACIENDA NAPOLES - ANTIOQUIA - NIGHT
It's a huge party. UNIFORMED WAITERS walk around with food
and beverages. BEAUTIFUL WOMEN everywhere. Cockroach is
alone in a corner - drinking by himself.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Pablo couldn't hide his success from
his friends. They were violent,
crazy and filthy rich. Guys used to
getting what they want, one way or
another.
Pablo, Gustavo, Gacha and Jorge Ochoa are drinking at a table.
GACHA
I heard the potato business is very
profitable these days.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 34.
Gacha picks up a French fry.
GACHA (CONT'D)
Who would think you could make so
much money off this? I am asking
myself if I should invest in it.
What do you think, Pablo?
JORGE OCHOA
I took a good look at the market.
Importing potatoes from Peru is easy.
Old smuggling routes.
GUSTAVO
If everyone starts buying potatoes
at one time, the Peruvians will raise
the price. Our margins will go down.
GACHA
They also grow potatoes in Bolivia.
We can reduce the cost of the refining
process if we buy together.
GUSTAVO
The hard part is getting the
merchandise to Miami. You need a
lot of creativity for that.
GACHA
How much would you charge to help us
be creative?
PABLO
You deliver the product to me,
labeled. I take it to Miami, and
deliver to your contact there. I
charge 35% of the sales value. But
I insure the safety of your load up
to 50% of the value.
(then)
Deal?
JORGE OCHOA
Deal.
GACHA
I will create my own routes and stop
using your services as soon as
possible. That okay with you?
Pablo stares at Gacha.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 35.
GUSTAVO
We expect nothing less.
Gacha extends his glass for a toast--
GACHA
Partners?
For a beat, no one moves.
PABLO
We know your policy toward partners.
Let's just call us... "friendly
associates."
The men laugh and toast.
GACHA
To Miami...
CUT TO:
EXT. PORT OF MIAMI - DAY
Colorful cargo crates line the port. Shipments of everything
from everywhere in the world.
MURPHY (V.O.)
When I started, a one-kilo grass
bust was cause for celebration.
INT. CARGO CONTAINER - DAY
Kevin holds up a crate of ORCHIDS with a false bottom. There
are KILOS packed beneath the flowers.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Before long, we were seizing sixty
kilos of coke a day.
EXT. CARGO SHIP - DECK - DAY
SIXTY KILOS of cocaine are removed from the ship on a dolly,
along with the handcuffed Crew.
MURPHY (V.O.)
We thought we were making a huge
difference.
Murphy and the agents clear FRAME as we--
CUT TO:
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 36.
A SCUBA DIVER
drops into the water beside a CARGO BOAT.
EXT. PORT OF MIAMI - LATER
UNDERWATER
The Diver swims to the hull of the boat, where four metal
pipes are magnetically attached.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Truth is, we weren't even making a
dent...
CUT TO:
THE METAL PIPES - ON THE DOCK
Now unsealed at one end. A WORKER dumps a HUNDRED KILOS
from the pipe onto the ground.
CLOSE - ON CARLOS LEHDER, smiling...
MURPHY (V.O.)
They let us have sixty, so they could
bring in six hundred.
CUT TO:
A WHITE LAB RAT
scurrying at a frantic pace past CAMERA.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Pablo's coke flooded in.
Ratings
Scene 11 - Miami's Drug War
CAMERA TRACKS the RAT as it races through the alley.
MURPHY (V.O.)
It didn't take long for Miami to get
addicted. And I mean that.
The RAT stops. Nose wriggling.
LOW ANGLE - A STREET CORNER DRUG DEAL
A handoff between dealer and client.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 37.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
It was like the whole city was running
around to get this shit. And with
the money, came the violence.
The RAT charges past--
A FOOT, as we TILT UP to reveal Murphy.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
The surfers had been replaced by
Colombians. And these guys didn't
wear flip-flops.
HIS P.O.V. - TWO COLOMBIANS
Armed with Mac-10s. Their guns spit fire--
MURPHY AND KEVIN
dive for cover. They peek from behind a dumpster. One
Colombian flees. Murphy sees the other Colombian running
behind a car from left to right.
MURPHY FIRES THROUGH THE CAR. No one comes out from the
other side.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
The Miami Coroner said Colombians
were like Dixie Cups. Use `em once,
then throw `em away.
MURPHY AND KEVIN
advance on the sprawled body behind the car. Kevin kneels
beside the dead shooter, turns back to Murphy.
KEVIN
Dude, he's just a kid.
The dead COLOMBIAN is about seventeen.
TIGHT - ON MURPHY
Stunned. And upset.
MURPHY (V.O.)
That was the first person I ever
shot. A teenager not old enough to
buy a six-pack.
CUT TO:
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 38.
EXT. MIAMI STREET/ALLEY - LATER
PARAMEDICS load the Colombian teen's corpse onto a
refrigerated truck. Murphy stands nearby.
MURPHY (V.O.)
The Dade County morgue couldn't fit
all the bodies from the drug war.
They had to rent a refrigerated truck
from a local company to hold all the
extra corpses.
PULLING BACK to see the logo: "BURGER KING."
CUT TO:
INT. MURPHY'S APARTMENT - MIAMI - NIGHT
Murphy swings open the door. He's exhausted, crestfallen,
and strangely guilty. Connie rises from the couch.
CONNIE
It was self-defense.
MURPHY
How'd you know?
CONNIE
Kevin called. He's worried about
you.
MURPHY
The kid was seventeen.
CONNIE
He sells drugs, right?
MURPHY
Yeah.
CONNIE
Then fuck him.
MURPHY
What?
CONNIE
Do you know what's going on here?
This city's upside down.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 39.
Murphy looks at her in surprise. It's only now he realizes
her mascara's streaked.
CUT TO:
A GURNEY
Rolls past with an unconscious PREGNANT WOMAN. She's one of
the Colombian girls we saw with Lion.
CONNIE (O.S.)
I was about to finish my shift when
we got hit with lights and sirens.
INT. MIAMI GENERAL - EMERGENCY ROOM - DAY
Connie quickly evaluates the unconscious GIRL.
CONNIE (O.S.)
Paramedics said she collapsed after
she got off her flight. By the time
she got to us, she was barely
breathing.
Everything in this sequence is frantic--
CONNIE (CONT'D)
Tachycardia! We need an EKG, stat!
Connie coils a blood pressure cuff on her arm at lightning
speed. NURSE #2 clips on a pulse oximeter.
CONNIE (O.S.) (CONT'D)
Dilated pupils, rapid pulse. I knew
she'd overdosed on cocaine.
Connie and NURSE #2 put the GIRL on her left side.
CONNIE (CONT'D)
180cc of benzodiazepine! She's going
into arrest!
CONNIE (O.S.) (CONT'D)
But she had no residue on her
nostrils, no injection marks.
The girl's convulsing. Connie grabs the defibrillators and
administers three high-voltage shocks.
CONNIE (O.S.) (CONT'D)
We did everything we could. She
died in the ER.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 40.
CONNIE (CONT'D)
(checking clock)
TOD, eleven hundred and twenty-two
minutes.
Connie puts a stethoscope to the girl's abdomen.
CONNIE (CONT'D)
The baby's still alive. I need a
surgeon for an emergency C-section!
Get a prenatal unit down here now!
INT. MURPHY'S APARTMENT - MIAMI - NIGHT
Murphy stares at Connie, shocked.
MURPHY
What happened?
CONNIE
The baby died in my hands.
MURPHY
I'm sorry.
CLOSE - ON THE X-RAY
It's the pregnant woman, post-mortem. We SEE her ribs, spine,
and fifty-five condoms of coke on the X-ray.
CONNIE (O.S.)
She was body-packing eleven ounces
of cocaine. Two of the pellets split
open.
INT. MIAMI GENERAL - HALLWAY - DAY
Connie, splattered with blood, stands numbly in front of a
light board, looking at the X-ray.
CONNIE (O.S.)
Twelve grams in her bloodstream.
INT. MURPHY'S APARTMENT - MIAMI - NIGHT
WIDER, ON CONNIE and MURPHY
CONNIE
No one survives that.
CUT TO:
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 41.
Ratings
Scene 12 - The Lost Load
A HIPPOPOTAMUS wanders through FRAME. One of the many animals
who roam the luxurious grounds of Napoles. Gustavo stands
out in the yard with Cockroach. He indicates Cockroach's
gold-plated Mercedes.
GUSTAVO
You're ten times richer than you
ever thought you could be.
COCKROACH
I just want my fair cut. If it wasn't
for me, you two would still be
smuggling cigarettes.
Gustavo goes stone-cold serious.
GUSTAVO
Let me give you a piece of advice.
Don't talk like this to Pablo. He's
not as forgiving as I am.
CUT TO:
OVERHEAD SHOT
Thirty TRUCKS behind the jeep, passing through FRAME (same
as earlier shot in the script).
MURPHY (V.O.)
Cockroach should have listened to
Gustavo. Instead, he found another
way to get his fair share.
OVER THE SHOULDER: A COP
A police checkpoint. The LEAD TRUCK pulls to a stop. The
DRIVER rolls down his window to find Colonel Herrera and a
group of other DAS Agents, seen earlier.
HERRERA
What's in those spare tires?
CUT TO:
INT. HACIENDA NAPOLES - ANTIOQUIA - DAY
GUSTAVO hangs up the phone and approaches PABLO, who watches
a soccer game on television.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 42.
GUSTAVO
390 kilos. We lost it.
PABLO
What do you mean we lost it?
GUSTAVO
What I said. We lost it.
PABLO
It just disappeared? Into thin air?
GUSTAVO
Don't bust my balls. Cops must've
followed them from Ipsalia.
PABLO
We've paid every cop from here to
Ipsalia. How'd we lose a load?
GUSTAVO
Somewhere in Colombia there exists
an honest cop.
PABLO
How much is he asking for?
GUSTAVO
Too much.
PABLO
I'm going down there.
Gustavo knows Pablo too well.
GUSTAVO
Why risk it? It's only 390 keys.
CUT TO:
INT. POLICE HEADQUARTERS - MEDELLÍN - DAY
Pablo strolls in to find Colonel Herrera and Nacho Ibarra.
PABLO
What's going on?
HERRERA
We need to renegotiate.
PABLO
Fuck you.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 43.
INT. POLICE HEADQUARTERS - LINE-UP ROOM - MEDELLÍN - DAY
Now handcuffed, Pablo stands with an ID placard with the day
and date of his arrest.
TWO SHOT - HERRERA AND IBARRA
Through the one-way glass, they watch a photographer preparing
to take the mugshot of Pablo.
IBARRA
Are you sure about this? He hasn't
said a word since you arrested him.
HERRERA
We're DAS. What's he gonna do about
it?
CUT TO:
OVER THE SHOULDER: THE POLICE PHOTOGRAPHER
Pablo smiles for the camera. CLICK.
MATCH CUT TO:
PABLO'S MUGSHOT (ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE)
The famous one. Inmate Number: 128482
MURPHY (V.O.)
Pablo didn't know it then, but this
mugshot was gonna cause him a lotta
grief down the line.
CUT TO:
INT. POLICE HEADQUARTERS - INTERROGATION - MEDELLÍN - DAY
Pablo sits calmly at a table. Herrera enters with Ibarra.
HERRERA
We count over three hundred kilos on
those trucks. That's a street value
of over four million in American
currency. But you only pay us a
hundred fifty thousand.
PABLO
That's what we agreed on.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 44.
HERRERA
(enjoying this)
I make deals for a living. You can
accept my deal or accept the
consequences for not taking it. Now
why don't we renegotiate a bit and
we can all leave happy.
Pablo mulls this, then--
PABLO
I'll give you a million dollars,
U.S., on one condition.
HERRERA
What's that?
PABLO
Somebody in my organization told you
the street price of my cocaine.
Otherwise how would you know? Tell
me who it is and you won't have to
split the money with him.
CUT TO:
EXT. PORT OF MIAMI - DAY
A PLUMBING VAN drives past the cargo crates.
MURPHY (V.O.)
It turns out Cockroach was a real
cockroach. Not only did he sell
Pablo to the authorities, he was
stealing from him all along and
selling coke in Miami, too.
The VAN pulls up to a MERCEDES. GERMAN ZAPATA, 40s, sleek
as a greyhound, gets out. He's accompanied by TWO BODYGUARDS.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Cockroach's dealer was German Zapata,
a Colombian with a plumbing business
that served as a front for his cocaine
operation. He had twelve hundred
keys in the van. And guess who was
buying the load?
THE MERCEDES DOORS OPEN
Murphy and Kevin get out, wearing guayabera shirts.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 45.
ZAPATA
Gentlemen.
MURPHY
Mr. Zapata. A pleasure.
Kevin walks to the back of the Mercedes and opens--
THE TRUNK
It's packed with two duffel bags of CASH.
MURPHY, KEVIN AND ZAPATA
walk to the back of the plumbing van.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
The plan was to trade vehicles and
Zapata would be arrested once he
left the Port.
Zapata opens the back to reveal--
A HUGE AMOUNT OF COCAINE
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Twelve hundred kilos - that would
get us on the cover of the Miami
Herald.
Murphy exchanges car keys with Zapata.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Everything was going perfect, except
that Pablo was onto Cockroach.
Ratings
Scene 13 - The Capture of La Quica
CAMERA FOLLOWS over the shoulder of two ASSASSINS on a
Kawasaki, heading into the long term parking. On the back
of the cycle is--
LA QUICA, a hitman who works for Pablo.
He pulls out his Mac-10 and fires.
BOOM! - ZAPATA AND KEVIN
drop like stones.
ZAPATA'S BODYGUARD
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 46.
returns fire.
The DRIVER gets blown off the cycle. It spins out on the
concrete pavement.
LA QUICA
scrambles to his feet, raising his Mac-10.
MURPHY
steps forward, about to fire--
LA QUICA
drops his Mac-10 and raises his hands.
LA QUICA
(accented)
I give up! Arrest me.
Hands high, he drops to his knees.
MURPHY
lowers his weapon as--
A SWARM OF DEA AGENTS
arrive to arrest La Quica.
CLOSE - ON KEVIN
Dead from a bullet wound to the skull.
CUT TO:
AN AMERICAN FLAG
Flapping in the wind above the Miami-Dade Courthouse.
MURPHY (V.O.)
I got to the courthouse early on the
day of La Quica's trial.
EXT. COURTHOUSE - MIAMI - DAY
Murphy climbs the steps to enter the courthouse.
MURPHY (V.O.)
My testimony was gonna put that
bastard on death row.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 47.
He's buttonholed by a U.S. PROSECUTOR.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
The U.S. District Attorney caught me
on the courthouse steps, said La
Quica met his bail of two million
dollars, paid by a wire transfer
from-- well, why don't you take a
guess?
CUT TO:
BOARDING GATE - "MEDELLÍN, COLOMBIA"
INT. MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - DAY
La Quica walks onto a plane.
MURPHY (V.O.)
La Quica boarded and was back in
Medellín by midnight.
INT. MURPHY'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - MIAMI - NIGHT
Connie sleeps in Murphy's arms. He stares at the ceiling.
MURPHY (V.O.)
From `79 through `84, there were
3245 murders in Miami.
MONTAGE: MIAMI AND MEDELLÍN (ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE)
This sequence will be built from archival footage: Murders,
mayhem, boat-lifts and coke seizures.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
But outside of the Florida Tourist
Bureau and the cops, no one much
cared about that.
EXT. WHITE HOUSE - WASHINGTON, DC - DAY (ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE)
Establishing.
MURPHY (V.O.)
What got the U.S. government to take
notice was the money. Billions of
dollars a year, all of it flowing
from the U.S. to Colombia. And that,
America could not take.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 48.
INT. OVAL OFFICE ANTEROOM - DAY
FOUR BUSINESSMEN are seated on a couch.
MURPHY (V.O.)
See these guys? That's Gerald Ottman
from General Electric. Jack Rogers
from Miami National Bank. Paul
Griggs, Goldman Sachs. And Bill
Taub from the City Workers Pension
Fund. They were terrified the narco-
economy would sink the real economy
of Miami.
A SECRETARY enters the room.
SECRETARY
The President will see you now.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Or maybe they were pissed off they
weren't getting a cut.
Inside the Oval Office, a Reaganesque figure can be seen
sitting behind his desk (not identifiable).
INT. OVAL OFFICE - DAY
The Businessmen enter. The President stands and shakes hands
with his guests.
BUSINESS
Mr. President. Thank you for having
us.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Whatever it was, the businessmen
came at just the right time. The
Berlin Wall was about to fall. The
Soviet Union was dissolving. It was
time for America to suit up against
a new enemy.
INT. OVAL OFFICE - DAY (ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE)
RONALD and NANCY REAGAN sit on the couch.
RONALD REAGAN
Tonight, from our family to yours,
from our home to yours.
CLOSE - ON RONALD REAGAN
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 49.
RONALD REAGAN (CONT'D)
Drugs are menacing our society.
They're threatening our values and
undercutting our institutions.
(then)
They're killing our children.
MURPHY (V.O.)
It was classic Reagan. Folksy,
direct, and tough. He vowed to go
after drugs at the source. But it
was Nancy who stole the show.
CLOSE - ON NANCY REAGAN
NANCY REAGAN
So to my young friends out there,
life can be great. But not when you
can't see it. So open your eyes to
life, to see it in the vivid colors
that God gave us as a precious gift
to His children. Say yes to your
life. And when it comes to drugs
and alcohol, just say no.
CUT TO:
TIGHT - ON COCKROACH: BEATEN AND BLOODY
COCKROACH
No, no, no!!!
A BULLET blasts him in the forehead.
INT. HACIENDA NAPOLES - ANTIOQUIA - DAY
Cockroach topples to the ground.
MURPHY (V.O.)
They say when a nuclear holocaust
comes, only the cockroaches will
survive.
CAMERA SWIVELS to find Pablo. Gun outstretched.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
I guess they were wrong.
Pablo turns to Poison.
PABLO
Clean this up.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 50.
Ratings
Scene 14 - The War Begins
Misty night.
MURPHY (V.O.)
Over his career, Pablo would kill
over a thousand cops. But I wouldn't
learn that till later.
WIDE SHOT - COLONEL HERRERA AND NACHO IBARRA
The DAS Agents lie sprawled on the ground. They've been
tortured and shot in the head.
CUT TO:
PEOPLE CROSS THROUGH FRAME
Revealing airport departing gates.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
My dad volunteered to fight in World
War II because of Pearl Harbor.
INT. MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - NIGHT
The international departure terminal.
MURPHY (V.O.)
But you think he knew anybody in
Hawaii? No way.
WIDE SHOT
Two tiny figures walk toward CAMERA.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
He was a West Virginia farmboy. But
these fuckers stepped on our soil.
The figures get closer.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
So he laced up his Army boots and
went to fight. It was his duty.
It's Murphy and Connie, walking into a TWO SHOT.
MURPHY (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Cocaine in Miami? Powder from
Colombia? This was my war.
NARCOS Ep. 101 "Descenso" 5/13/14 51.
REVERSING, OVER SHOULDER as they board a plane. TILT UP to
see the departure sign: "Bogota, Colombia."
EXT. MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - DAY
The PLANE races down the runway.
MURPHY (V.O.)
This was my duty. And I was ready
to fight.
The airplane lifts off into the sky.
INT. HACIENDA NAPOLES - ANTIOQUIA - DAY
La Quica reports to Pablo.
PABLO
They killed Poison? Where?
LA QUICA
La Dispensaria.
PABLO
Who did it?
LA QUICA
I think it was Carillo. He got there
early the next day. But that DEA
guy was there taking pictures.
Pablo smolders for a beat.
PABLO
Raise the bounty.
LA QUICA
On Carillo?
PABLO
No. I'll pay half a million for the
head of a DEA agent.
(then)
Fucking gringos.
Off Pablo--
FADE OUT.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Ratings
Characters in the screenplay, and their arcs:
Character | Arc | Critique | Suggestions |
---|---|---|---|
Steve Murphy | |||
Javier Peña | Javier Peña's character arc starts with his initial excitement about capturing narcos, but transforms into a passionate determination to bring down the drug trade, despite the personal sacrifices it entails. He faces challenging situations that test his courage and commitment to the mission, but ultimately emerges as a clever and dedicated DEA agent who succeeds in making a significant impact on the drug trade in his area. | Overall, Javier Peña's character is well-developed and adds depth to the movie. However, his arc could have been more nuanced, particularly in terms of showing his character growth. Additionally, his casual demeanor and love for scotch could be balanced with more serious moments that highlight the gravity of the situation he is fighting against. | To improve Javier Peña's arc, it would be beneficial to show more moments of personal sacrifice and struggle, highlighting the emotional toll of his work. A potential way to balance his casual demeanor could be to show him struggling to reconcile his personal life with his job, perhaps through a budding romantic relationship with a local woman that is complicated by his mission. This could add more depth to his character and show the human side of his work. |
Colonel Carillo | Throughout the course of the movie, Colonel Carillo's character arc is defined by his growing realization of the true cost of the war on drugs. At first, he is single-minded in his pursuit of the narcos, driven solely by a desire to take down the people who are responsible for so much violence and destruction. However, as the operation drags on and the casualties mount, Carillo begins to question the efficacy of the strategy they are pursuing. He sees the suffering of the people caught in the crossfire, and becomes aware of the collateral damage wrought by the war on drugs. In the end, he is left with a sense of disillusionment, recognizing that the war on drugs is a never-ending cycle of violence that can never truly be won. | The character arc for Colonel Carillo is well-developed, but it would benefit from more concrete evidence of his disillusionment with the war on drugs. The movie could benefit from showing more scenes of Carillo interacting with the people who are affected by the war, and seeing more tangible evidence of the human cost of the operation. Additionally, the arc would be stronger if Carillo had more agency in the outcome of the operation. As it stands, he seems somewhat passive, simply reacting to events rather than driving them forward. | To improve the character arc for Colonel Carillo, the script could include more scenes showing him interacting with the people affected by the war on drugs. We could see him visiting hospitals where the wounded are being treated, or talking to family members of people who have been killed in the crossfire. Additionally, Carillo could have more of a role in driving the plot forward, perhaps by making key strategic decisions that have a significant impact on the outcome of the operation. This would give his disillusionment with the war more weight, as it would feel more like a personal journey driven by his actions. |
DEA agent Steve Murphy | Over the course of the screenplay, Steve Murphy’s character arc follows the trajectory of his journey from an enthusiastic, law-abiding agent to a disillusioned and conflicted figure. At first, his sole focus is on capturing the narcos and bringing them to justice. He is confident in his abilities and the tactics used by the DEA to combat drug trafficking. However, as the violence and corruption of the drug trade increase, he begins to question the morality of his actions and the effectiveness of the drug war. His growing disillusionment is sparked by his close relationship with his Colombian partner and friend, Javier Peña, and his exposure to the brutal realities of the drug trade. Ultimately, his arc culminates in a final, emotionally charged decision to abandon his mission and leave Colombia, realizing that the drug war is not winnable. | The character arc of Steve Murphy is well-crafted, with a clear progression from idealism to disillusionment that is both believable and compelling. However, it could benefit from further development in terms of his personal relationships and the emotional toll of his work in Colombia. While his partnership with Peña is central to the story, their friendship could be fleshed out more fully, adding depth to Murphy’s character and enhancing the impact of their final goodbye. Additionally, more attention could be paid to the psychological impact of his work on Murphy, particularly in relation to the violence and corruption he witnesses. | To improve the character arc of Steve Murphy, the screenwriter could focus on building more complex and nuanced relationships between him and the other characters, especially Peña and his wife Connie. Specifically, the writer could delve deeper into the emotional impact of his work on these relationships and how they contribute to his growing disillusionment. They could also explore the psychological trauma that Murphy experiences as a result of his exposure to the drug war in Colombia. Finally, the screenplay could devote more time to exploring his moral conflict and the ethical implications of his actions, particularly in dialogue with Peña and other DEA agents. |
Pablo Escobar | At the beginning of the film, Pablo's arc is one of rising power and influence. He consolidates control over the drug trade in Colombia, using both violence and negotiation to achieve his goals. However, as his empire grows, he becomes increasingly paranoid and isolated, leading to a series of costly mistakes that ultimately lead to his downfall. As he faces his own mortality, he is forced to confront the legacy of his actions and the impact they have had on those around him. | The character arc presented here is fairly standard for a crime movie - rise to power, fall from grace, and redemption. However, the description of Pablo's character is quite one-dimensional, focusing only on his ruthlessness and devotion to family. To make the arc more compelling, it would be helpful to flesh out his character with more complex motivations and emotions. | To improve the character arc, it would be helpful to explore more deeply why Pablo is so driven to maintain power and control. What is the source of his desire for wealth and influence? Additionally, it would be interesting to see more of his relationships with other characters, particularly those outside his immediate family and inner circle. How do they view and interact with him, and how do those interactions affect his trajectory? By expanding on these aspects of the character, the arc could become more nuanced and emotionally impactful. |
Here are different suggestions of loglines. (Alpha code)
Story structures and how the script fits them
Story Structure Framework 1: Hero's Journey
1. Departure:
- Characters present: Murphy, Connie
- Scene takes place at Miami International Airport
- Murphy and Connie board a plane to Colombia
- Conflict arises when Murphy is torn between his duty to fight against cocaine in Miami and his desire to be with Connie
- Emotional tone is tense and conflicted
- Key dialogue: None mentioned
- Significant visual element: Departure sign at the airport
- Scene ends with a fade out
2. Initiation:
- Characters present: La Quica, Murphy, Colonel Herrera, Nacho Ibarra, Pablo
- Scene takes place in Medellín, Miami International Airport, and Hacienda Napoles
- La Quica reports to Pablo about Poison's death
- Conflict arises when Pablo learns about Poison's death and decides to raise the bounty on a DEA agent's head
- Emotional tone is tense and ominous
- Key dialogue: Murphy's voiceover about his duty to fight against cocaine in Miami and Pablo's frustration with the DEA
- Significant visual element: None mentioned
- Scene ends with a fade out
3. Return:
- No specific scene mentioned in the summary that fits the Return stage of the Hero's Journey.
Story Structure Framework 2: Save the Cat
1. Opening Image:
- Characters present: Murphy, Connie, Kevin
- Scene takes place at a bar in Miami at night
- Murphy receives a call about a drug dealer named Poison and writes down the details to pass on to the Colombian police
- Emotional tone is light-hearted and humorous
- Key dialogue: "Hey, Murph, Sparrow 3 o'clock, checking you out." - Kevin; "Those bastards got me. But I couldn't let it end like that." - Murphy; "How about a fake phone number?" - Connie
- No significant visual elements or actions mentioned
- Scene ends with Murphy calling the phone number and realizing it is not fake
2. Catalyst:
- Characters present: Murphy, Connie, Horatio Carillo, Poison, Sure Shot, other drug dealers
- Scene takes place at Murphy's apartment in Bogota, Colombia, at night
- Conflict arises between the drug dealers and the Colombian police
- Emotional tone is tense and suspenseful
- Key dialogue: "Poison will be at La Dispensaria at around midnight with his crew," "We're on, fellas," "Got 'Poison.' We got 'Bad Mouth.' We got 'Blackie.'"
- Significant visual elements: Chaos of Murphy's apartment and the bloody aftermath of the shootout at La Dispensaria
- Scene ends with Murphy and Carillo surveying the aftermath of the shootout and discussing their success in taking down the drug dealers
3. Break into Two:
- Characters present: Peña, Murphy
- Scene takes place during the day in the United States Embassy in Bogota
- Conflict arises between Peña and Murphy's differing views on the morality of their actions
- Emotional tone is tense and somber
- Key dialogue: Peña asks if any humans were involved in Sure Shot's capture, Murphy shows him the body of a young Colombian girl and defends his actions, saying that good and bad are relative concepts
- Significant visual elements: "Tree chart" of traffickers and hit men, body of the young Colombian girl, archival footage of President Nixon and General Pinochet, footage of Chilean soldiers invading a jungle lab and executing drug dealers
- Scene ends with footage of Mateo Moreno bursting into a shack and telling his wife they need to leave the country because Pinochet wants to kill him
Story Structure Framework 3: Three-Act Structure
Act 1:
- Characters present: Murphy, Connie, Kevin
- Scene takes place at a bar in Miami at night
- Murphy receives a call about a drug dealer named Poison and writes down the details to pass on to the Colombian police
- Conflict arises when the DEA Guys prank Murphy, but it is resolved when Murphy approaches Connie and gets her phone number
- Emotional tone is light-hearted and humorous
- Key dialogue: "Hey, Murph, Sparrow 3 o'clock, checking you out." - Kevin; "Those bastards got me. But I couldn't let it end like that." - Murphy; "How about a fake phone number?" - Connie
- No significant visual elements or actions mentioned
- Scene ends with Murphy calling the phone number and realizing it is not fake
Act 2:
- Characters present: Murphy, Connie, Horatio Carillo, Poison, Sure Shot, other drug dealers
- Scene takes place at Murphy's apartment in Bogota, Colombia, at night
- Conflict arises between the drug dealers and the Colombian police
- Emotional tone is tense and suspenseful
- Key dialogue: "Poison will be at La Dispensaria at around midnight with his crew," "We're on, fellas," "Got 'Poison.' We got 'Bad Mouth.' We got 'Blackie.'"
- Significant visual elements: Chaos of Murphy's apartment and the bloody aftermath of the shootout at La Dispensaria
- Scene ends with Murphy and Carillo surveying the aftermath of the shootout and discussing their success in taking down the drug dealers
Act 3:
- Characters present: Peña, Murphy
- Scene takes place during the day in the United States Embassy in Bogota
- Conflict arises between Peña and Murphy's differing views on the morality of their actions
- Emotional tone is tense and somber
- Key dialogue: Peña asks if any humans were involved in Sure Shot's capture, Murphy shows him the body of a young Colombian girl and defends his actions, saying that good and bad are relative concepts
- Significant visual elements: "Tree chart" of traffickers and hit men, body of the young Colombian girl, archival footage of President Nixon and General Pinochet, footage of Chilean soldiers invading a jungle lab and executing drug dealers
- Scene ends with footage of Mateo Moreno bursting into a shack and telling his wife they need to leave the country because Pinochet wants to kill him
Top Correlations and patterns found in the scenes:
Pattern | Explanation |
---|---|
Tone and Emotional Impact | There is a strong correlation between the tone of the scene and its emotional impact. Scenes with intense and suspenseful tones consistently score high in emotional impact. |
Dialogue and Character Changes | Scenes with high scores in dialogue also tend to have significant character changes. This suggests that dialogue is an effective tool for character development. |
Conflict and High Stakes | Scenes with high conflict scores also tend to have high stakes. This makes sense, as high stakes often lead to increased conflict. |
Concept and Plot | There is a strong correlation between the concept of the screenplay and its plot. Scenes that score high in concept also tend to score high in plot, suggesting that the concept is well-developed and integrated into the story. |
Character Changes and Emotional Impact | Scenes with significant character changes also tend to have high emotional impact. This suggests that character development is an effective way to engage the audience emotionally. |
Overall Grade and Move Story Forward | Scenes that score high in overall grade also tend to score high in moving the story forward. This suggests that well-written scenes are effective at advancing the plot. |
Overall Style
The writing style of the screenplay is difficult to assess as no scene analyses have been provided.
Dominant Screenwriters
Stories Similar to this one
Story | Explanation |
---|---|
Narcos | This TV show shares similarities with the screenplay in terms of its setting in Colombia, the focus on drug trafficking, and the tense and suspenseful tone. |
Blow | This movie is similar to the screenplay in its exploration of the cocaine trade, the involvement of various characters, and the conflicts and tensions that arise. |
Traffic | This movie shares similarities with the screenplay in its examination of the drug trade, the use of multiple storylines and characters, and the exploration of moral dilemmas. |
The Wire | This TV show is similar to the screenplay in its exploration of crime and law enforcement, the use of multiple characters and storylines, and the examination of moral complexities. |
Breaking Bad | This TV show shares similarities with the screenplay in its focus on the drug trade, the exploration of moral dilemmas, and the tension and suspense that permeate the story. |
Sicario | This movie is similar to the screenplay in its examination of the drug trade, the involvement of law enforcement, and the tense and suspenseful tone. |
The Godfather | This movie shares similarities with the screenplay in its exploration of organized crime, the involvement of various characters, and the conflicts and tensions that arise. |
The Departed | This movie is similar to the screenplay in its examination of crime and law enforcement, the use of multiple characters and storylines, and the exploration of moral complexities. |
Heat | This movie shares similarities with the screenplay in its focus on crime and law enforcement, the exploration of moral dilemmas, and the tension and suspense that permeate the story. |
American Gangster | This movie is similar to the screenplay in its examination of the drug trade, the involvement of law enforcement, and the tense and suspenseful tone. |
Here are different Tropes found in the screenplay
Trope | Trope Details | Trope Explanation |
---|---|---|
Voiceover | Murphy provides a voiceover explaining the situation. | Voiceover is a narrative technique where a character's thoughts or commentary are heard by the audience but not by the other characters in the scene. It is often used to provide exposition or insight into the character's perspective. An example of voiceover can be seen in the TV show 'Dexter' where the main character provides voiceover narration to give insight into his thoughts and motivations. |
Location, Location, Location | The scene takes place in various locations such as Bogota, Colombia, Miami, and Peru. | Location, Location, Location is a trope where the setting of a scene or story plays a significant role in the narrative. It can contribute to the atmosphere, provide context, or create specific challenges for the characters. An example of this trope can be seen in the TV show 'Breaking Bad' where the desolate desert landscapes of New Mexico contribute to the isolation and danger faced by the characters. |
Shootout | There is a bloody shootout at La Dispensaria and a shootout at the Port of Miami. | Shootout is a trope where characters engage in a violent exchange of gunfire. It is often used to create tension, suspense, and action in a scene. An example of a shootout can be seen in the movie 'Heat' where the characters engage in a high-intensity shootout in the streets of Los Angeles. |
Morality Kitchen Sink | Peña and Murphy discuss their differing views on the morality of their actions. | Morality Kitchen Sink is a trope where characters have differing views on morality and ethics. It explores the complexity of human behavior and the gray areas between right and wrong. An example of this trope can be seen in the TV show 'The Good Place' where the characters grapple with ethical dilemmas and question the nature of good and bad. |
Technology Porn | The use of technology to intercept phone calls and track Poison's location is a significant visual element. | Technology Porn is a trope where the use of advanced technology is showcased and celebrated in a scene or story. It often emphasizes the capabilities and intricacies of the technology. An example of this trope can be seen in the movie 'Iron Man' where the high-tech suit and gadgets are prominently featured and admired. |
Bribe Backfire | Pablo offers a bribe to find out who betrayed him. | Bribe Backfire is a trope where a character attempts to bribe someone but it ends up causing negative consequences or backfiring on them. It highlights the risks and unpredictability of bribery as a tactic. An example of this trope can be seen in the TV show 'Breaking Bad' where a character attempts to bribe a police officer but it leads to their arrest and further complications. |
Tragic Mistake | Murphy shoots and kills a teenager during a shootout, and a pregnant Colombian girl dies due to cocaine overdose. | Tragic Mistake is a trope where a character makes a decision or takes an action that leads to unintended and tragic consequences. It explores the theme of human fallibility and the impact of choices. An example of this trope can be seen in the movie 'Atonement' where a character falsely accuses someone of a crime, leading to devastating consequences for multiple lives. |
Theme | Theme Details | Themee Explanation |
---|---|---|
Morality and Ethics | Peña and Murphy's differing views on the morality of their actions | The theme of morality and ethics is explored through Peña and Murphy's conflicting perspectives on their actions in the drug war. Peña questions the human cost of their operations, while Murphy defends his actions by arguing that good and bad are relative concepts. |
Violence and Conflict | Bloody shootout at La Dispensaria, violent shootout at the restaurant, shootout at the cocktail party, Murphy shooting and killing a teenager | Violence and conflict are prevalent themes throughout the screenplay. From the bloody shootouts to the violent confrontations between drug dealers and law enforcement, the story explores the brutal and dangerous world of the drug trade. |
Power and Control | Pablo using his knowledge of the agents' names and personal details to negotiate a deal, Pablo intimidating others with his power, Gustavo warning Cockroach not to disrespect Pablo | Power and control are central themes in the screenplay. Pablo Escobar exerts his influence and control over others through intimidation and manipulation. The characters navigate a world where power dynamics determine their fate. |
Addiction and its Consequences | Murphy's narration about the city's addiction to drugs and the violence that comes with it, pregnant Colombian girl overdosing on cocaine | The theme of addiction and its consequences is explored through Murphy's narration about the city's addiction to drugs and the tragic events that occur as a result. The pregnant Colombian girl's overdose highlights the devastating impact of drug addiction. |
Betrayal and Loyalty | Cockroach turning to Pablo Escobar as a potential partner, Cockroach's betrayal, tension between Pablo and Gustavo | Betrayal and loyalty are recurring themes in the screenplay. Cockroach's betrayal of Gacha and his subsequent partnership with Pablo Escobar exemplify the complex dynamics of trust and loyalty in the drug trade. |
Screenwriting Resources on Themes
Articles
Site | Description |
---|---|
Studio Binder | Movie Themes: Examples of Common Themes for Screenwriters |
Coverfly | Improving your Screenplay's theme |
John August | Writing from Theme |
YouTube Videos
Title | Description |
---|---|
Story, Plot, Genre, Theme - Screenwriting Basics | Screenwriting basics - beginner video |
What is theme | Discussion on ways to layer theme into a screenplay. |
Thematic Mistakes You're Making in Your Script | Common Theme mistakes and Philosophical Conflicts |
Voice Analysis | |
---|---|
Summary: | The writer's voice is characterized by a mix of urgency, intensity, and realism. The dialogue is gritty and realistic, while the narrative description is vivid and descriptive. The writer's voice adds depth to the screenplay by creating a sense of tension, danger, and moral ambiguity. It also explores themes of justice, the consequences of one's actions, and the complexities of the drug trade. |
Voice Contribution | The writer's voice contributes to the script by creating a tense and suspenseful atmosphere through the use of descriptive narrative and impactful dialogue. The gritty and realistic style adds authenticity to the characters and their actions, while the vivid descriptions and concise scene direction capture the intensity and atmosphere of the moment. The writer's voice also explores complex themes and moral dilemmas, adding depth and nuance to the story. |
Best Representation Scene | 9 - Smuggling Cocaine |
Best Scene Explanation | This scene could serve as the encapsulation of the writer's unique voice in the screenplay because it showcases their ability to blend humor and darkness, as well as provide insightful commentary on the characters and their actions. |
- Overall originality score: 5
- Overall originality explanation: The screenplay has a moderate level of originality. While some scenes explore familiar themes and settings, the specific details, character interactions, and fresh perspectives add originality to the overall story.
- Most unique situations: The most unique situations in the screenplay are the portrayal of studying the effects of cocaine on rats, the prank played on Murphy, and the negotiation between Pablo and the DAS agents.
- Overall unpredictability score: 7
- Overall unpredictability explanation: The screenplay has a relatively high level of unpredictability. The specific conflicts, twists, and unexpected events keep the audience engaged and guessing throughout the story.
Goals and Philosophical Conflict | |
---|---|
internal Goals | The protagonist's internal goals evolve throughout the script, reflecting their desire for protection, success, knowledge, wealth, power, and justice. |
External Goals | The protagonist's external goals involve intercepting and gathering information from the Narcos, capturing drug dealers, conducting experiments, establishing connections, evaluating feasibility, impressing others, transporting drugs, surviving shootouts, negotiating, and testifying in court. |
Philosophical Conflict | The overarching philosophical conflict revolves around the protagonist's struggle with morality, justice, power, corruption, and the consequences of their actions. |
Character Development Contribution: The protagonist's evolving internal and external goals reflect their growth, conflicts, and desires, contributing to their development as a complex and multi-dimensional character.
Narrative Structure Contribution: The protagonist's goals and conflicts drive the narrative structure, creating tension, suspense, and a sense of progression as they navigate through various challenges and dilemmas.
Thematic Depth Contribution: The protagonist's goals and conflicts explore themes of morality, justice, power, corruption, and the consequences of one's actions, adding depth and complexity to the screenplay's thematic exploration.
Screenwriting Resources on Goals and Philosophical Conflict
Articles
Site | Description |
---|---|
Creative Screenwriting | How Important Is A Character’s Goal? |
Studio Binder | What is Conflict in a Story? A Quick Reminder of the Purpose of Conflict |
YouTube Videos
Title | Description |
---|---|
How I Build a Story's Philosophical Conflict | How do you build philosophical conflict into your story? Where do you start? And how do you develop it into your characters and their external actions. Today I’m going to break this all down and make it fully clear in this episode. |
Endings: The Good, the Bad, and the Insanely Great | By Michael Arndt: I put this lecture together in 2006, when I started work at Pixar on Toy Story 3. It looks at how to write an "insanely great" ending, using Star Wars, The Graduate, and Little Miss Sunshine as examples. 90 minutes |
Tips for Writing Effective Character Goals | By Jessica Brody (Save the Cat!): Writing character goals is one of the most important jobs of any novelist. But are your character's goals...mushy? |
- Physical environment: The world depicted in the screenplay is a combination of lush inland jungles, snow-capped volcanoes, alpine lakes, and urban environments like cities and bars. There are also specific locations such as laboratories, checkpoints, and luxury estates.
- Culture: The cultural elements present in the screenplay include references to Colombian culture, such as the emerald trade, drug trafficking, and involvement of different nationalities. There are also references to World War II and the duty to fight for one's country.
- Society: The societal structure depicted in the screenplay includes hierarchies within the drug trade, the presence of law enforcement agencies like the DEA and DAS, and the power dynamics between different characters. There is also a portrayal of corruption and violence within society.
- Technology: The technological aspects present in the screenplay include the use of cell phones, scientific equipment in laboratories, and transportation methods like planes and cars for smuggling.
- Characters influence: The unique physical environment, culture, society, and technology shape the characters' experiences and actions by creating a sense of danger, urgency, and moral ambiguity. These elements also influence their decisions, relationships, and interactions with each other.
- Narrative contribution: The world elements contribute to the narrative by establishing the setting, creating conflicts and tensions, and driving the plot forward. They also provide opportunities for character development and exploration of themes related to crime, power, and morality.
- Thematic depth contribution: The world elements contribute to the thematic depth of the screenplay by exploring themes such as the consequences of drug trafficking, the corrupting influence of power, the blurred lines between good and evil, and the impact of societal structures on individuals.
Pass / Consider / Recommend
The reasons might be more valuable than the rating.
Consider
Executive Summary
The screenplay shows promise in effectively establishing the technological capabilities of the U.S. government, introducing the main character and setting up conflicts between the Narcos and the DEA. However, there is room for improvement in dialogue, character development, and smooth transitions between scenes. The screenplay would benefit from clearer stakes and consequences, stronger hooks, and more context on the emerald trade and Gacha's brutality. Overall, the narrative is engaging and explores the power dynamics of the drug trade, but could further develop character arcs and emotional connections.
- The scene effectively establishes the technological capabilities of the U.S. government in intercepting phone calls and tracking targets. (Scene 1)
- The scene effectively introduces the main character, Steve Murphy, and establishes his role as a DEA agent embedded in Colombia. (Scene 2)
- The scene effectively establishes the tense and somber tone through the discovery of the young Colombian girl's body. (Scene 3)
- The scene effectively introduces the concept of cocaine addiction and its effects on the brain through the use of the rat experiment. (Scene 4)
- The scene effectively establishes the brutal and violent nature of the drug trade through the mowing down of party guests and the carnage that follows. (Scene 5)
- The dialogue could be more engaging and impactful. (Scene 1)
- The scene could benefit from more character development, particularly for secondary characters like Connie Murphy and Colonel Carillo. (Scene 2)
- The transition between the DEA office and the archival footage could be smoother. (Scene 3)
- The transition between the laboratory scene and the border checkpoint scene could be smoother. (Scene 4)
- The transition between the cocktail party and the checkpoint scene could be smoother. (Scene 5)
- More character development for Murphy and the operators. (Scene 1)
- A clearer sense of the stakes and consequences of the interception operation. (Scene 1)
- A stronger hook or cliffhanger at the end of the scene to keep the audience engaged. (Scene 1)
- A clearer conflict or tension within the scene that drives the narrative forward. (Scene 4)
- More context and background information on the emerald trade and Gacha's increasing brutality. (Scene 5)
- The scene effectively sets up the conflict between the Narcos and the DEA, creating anticipation for future confrontations. (Scene 1)
- The scene includes a dramatic moment with the shootout at La Dispensaria, which adds excitement and action to the story. (Scene 2)
- The introduction of Mateo Moreno, aka 'Cockroach,' creates intrigue and sets up a potential future conflict. (Scene 3)
- The scene effectively highlights the power and allure of cocaine, setting up the central theme of the screenplay. (Scene 4)
- The use of Pablo's knowledge of the DAS agents' names and personal details to intimidate them and negotiate a deal showcases his intelligence and manipulation skills. (Scene 5)
Memorable lines in the script:
Scene Number | Line |
---|---|
5 | Pablo Escobar: I am Pablo Fucking Escobar. My eyes are everywhere. You can't do a goddamn thing in Antioquia without me knowing about it. I'm going to be President of Colombia one day. |
4 | MURPHY (V.O.): It will choose cocaine over sleep, over sex, over life itself. |
14 | Pablo: I'll pay half a million for the head of a DEA agent. Fucking gringos. |
2 | Sure Shot: Hey, Beauty Queen! We're ugly but we're rich! |
13 | Nancy Reagan: So to my young friends out there, life can be great. But not when you can't see it. So open your eyes to life, to see it in the vivid colors that God gave us as a precious gift to His children. Say yes to your life. And when it comes to drugs and alcohol, just say no. |