When I
was living in McAllen, Texas, one warm, summer night as the balmy breeze made
its way up from Mexico, I had a cold beer with a fellow who had recently been
released from prison. He’d shared a cell with a low-level narco traficante. This
narco had amused my drinking amigo with stories of his drug cartel adventures.
I was
curious. They’re called drug “cartels”, but they don’t’ operate like, say, oil
cartels (OPEC), who cooperate to fix prices and production to their advantage.
I asked, “The United States has more than enough customers for all kinds of
drugs. Why do the Mexican drug cartel fight with each other? Why not join
forces to distribute and sell drugs? There’s plenty of customers for all.”
“Because,”
he said taking a sip of beer, “It’s not just about money. It’s about loyalty, honor,
revenge and territory.”
US
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is gearing up to re-start the War on Drugs.
Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign fell flat on its face. But it was a boon
for the prison industry as thousands of so-called “drug offenders” found
themselves in prison for possessing a dime bag of marijuana.
It’s
an undisputed fact, the United States is the biggest customer for illegal drugs.
What is it about modern American society that drives so many to seek drugs to
ease their pain or escape from reality. That’s a topic for another miniseries.
But,
where does someone like El Chapo fit into all this? He’s a classic, capitalist entrepreneur
operating on the free market principle of supply and demand. However, unlike
his capitalist counterparts in the US who deal with their competitors by
lowering prices or forming monopolies, El Chapo kills the competition and takes
over their routes.
In the
premier episode of El Chapo, we find
Joaquin working as a mid-level operative for a drug cartel. Guzman is ambitious
and wants to prove himself to drug lord. Pablo Escobar. Like Al Capone back in
Chicago during Prohibition, he has ideas on how to best move the “merchandise”
and increase profits for all concerned. It’s a risky movie on his part because failure
could mean losing his life. But he pulls it off and impresses Escobar.
As
played by Marco de la O, El Chapo comes across as a likeable, highly-motivated go-getter.
Like Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese’s gangster masterpiece, GoodFellas, he’s just trying to provide for his family and not get
stuck in a boring, typical nine-to-five job. Being a successful narco
traficante is not only profitable, it’s a constant, addictive adrenalin rush. It’s
an exciting, colorful life-style.
But
therein lies the tendency to romanticize these outlaws in films like bonnie and Clyde, Dillinger, and, one of
my personal favorites, La reina del Sur.
It’s hard not to like, and often even sympathize, with these compelling
characters. But we must not forget: these are bad people who have done very dreadful
things.
During
the trial of Adolph Eichmann, infamous Nazi war criminal, noted German-Jewish
philosopher and political theorist, Hannah Arendt, observed the cognitive
dissonance of his meek demeanor juxtaposed with his monstrous deeds as: “the
banality of evil.”
Marco
de la O’s El Chapo looks like the guy who works in a local Mexican bakery whom you
buy pan dulce from. He’s a charming guy, appealing, engaging. Like Charles
Manson, he has a certain charisma that attracts celebrities. Recall that Manon
became close to the Beach Boy’s drummer, Dennis Wilson. Manson even recorded
some of his music with them.
After
being re-captured recently, El Chap was visited by actor/activist Sean Penn and
Kate del Castillo, she of La reina del
Sur fame. Both received lots of criticism for associating with the person
who was considered the most dangerous man in the world
But
you can’t blame them for being curious. I’d be curious to find out more details
about his spectacular, Houdini-like escapes from prison. El Chapo’s many “Great
Escapes” would draw an approving wink of approval from Steve McQueen. But, I
would also be very interested in El Chapo’s motivation for getting into the
drug trafficking business in the first place.
Certainly,
the lure of money and adventure played a significant part. But there must be
more to it. The reason we are so fascinated by arch criminals like El Chapo, is
because they are so complicated, contradictory, morally conflicted, and yes,
evil people. Admit it, when you were a kid and played Cops ‘n Robbers, it was
more fun being the Robber, wasn’t it?
The
Univision and Story House Entertainment production of the miniseries of El Chapo holds the promise and
possibility of painting a detailed, realistic portrait of one of Mexico’s most
infamous drug lords. As head of the Sinaloa Cartel, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman
ruled a huge drug cartel empire with an iron fist. But somewhere in that
ruthless kingpin soul, there’s a humanity, however flawed, that warrants
exploration and even an attempt at an explanation.
The
miniseries creators, Silvana
Aguirre Zegarra and Carlos Contreras and producer Daniel Posada, have put
together a great looking story with a huge array of talented Latino actors,
headed by Marco de la O in the title role.
El
Chapo premieres on Univision
on April 23, 2017.
