Narco-Saints

I am a big fan of the "Narcos" and "El Chapo" shows. So for me there was not a single doubt in my mind to give "Narco Saints" a try... And off course I didn't want to wait too long and decided to watch this show immediately!

But just before I started watching this show, I did some research. Because what on earth are a bunch of Korean guys doing in South America: drug trafficking in Suriname, a country far from their homeland. I was even more surprised to see carton boxes with dutch logos on several of the movie posters/photos. It just didn't make sense to me... But after some checking, it all seems to be based on a true story. The names of the people I however could not find back on the internet. But in the president of Suriname, I think I recognized Desi Bouterse. It is a well-known fact that - as president of Suriname - Bouterse murdered many people and is/was involved in drug trafficking. That there isn't yet a crime show about Bouterse himself, is a wonder by itself...

After watching part of the show, I was actually positively surprised by the quality of it. With the blockbuster show "Squid Game", we have already seen that korean media production can be off pretty interesting quality. And "Narco Saints" seems to confirm that "Squid Game" was not some kind of one-time miracle, never to be repeated again. You can clearly see that the producers and showrunner (director) of "Narco Saints" have done their homework by thoroughly studying the original "Narcos" and "El Chapo" shows. Especially in the first few episodes of "Narco Saints" you can see back elements like the news snippits with a voice-over from the main character.

An important point that I want to make is the choice of language and subtitling. I find it always difficult whether to chose to watch it in either (1) the original language with english subtitles, or (2) dubbed in english... Like many of you, I don't understand a word of korean. The fact is however that korean people speak so fast, that subtitles are often impossible to read fully before they disappear. So I had no alternative than to chose english dubbing. It's a pitty however that the english dubbing isn't of a too high quality. It would have been so much better if they had asked the real actors to also do a dubbing in english. This so that at least we have the english voices from the real actors. But I have to admit... watching the show with the current low quality english dubbing is still a nice experience.

Overall, the show was a great watch. The acting is great and many action scenes are very good. The visual effects however could have been better. When it comes for instance to some jet fighters taking off, you can clearly see that it was a fake.

All-in-all, it was over 6 hours of pretty good content. I think though that the director should have edited it down to somewhere between 4.5 and 5 hours. Episodes 4,5 and 6 could have been better told in two episodes of maximum 45 minutes. Especially episode 5 became a "bit" too repetitive and predictable.

I don't know why they decided to not use real names in a production "based on true facts", but this is something I hope will be changed in a second season. Because I truly hope we will see more narco shows produced by koreans! And off course any next season should again be based on true facts! I wouldn't even mind if it would then focus on drug crimes in other countries. I honestly would even be interested to see a show about the real meth druglords from Asia.

One small remark that I want to make... It was pretty obvious that Rolex sponsored the show through product placement! At one point they even put a Rolex sticker on an antique wall clock. That was pretty funny to see actually :-)

Don't expect the original Narco's series level of production, but Saints was entertaining, and largely as it was based on a true story, held my interest. It gets more interesting as the episodes evolve, but good that it was kept to 6 episodes.

I could hear in the first couple of episodes particularly some strains of background music very reminiscent of the Narcos themes. Thought that was funny, but this ain't that series. If you go in expecting that you'll just be disappointed.

You'll also have to stretch sense of belief to a rather large degree as some action events are rather not quite realistic or believable, forget feasible.

But it's an intriguing story you might enjoy watching.

South Korean cinema and television continues to impress with NARCO-SAINTS, a retitling of THE ACCIDENTAL NARCO now showing on Netflix. Like SQUID GAME before it, this is a limited TV miniseries which has the production values and expense of a movie, and it looks absolutely fantastic too. It tells the true story of a Korean pastor in Suriname who turned out to be a drug lord on the side. Hard to believe, but this perfectly-paced thriller packs in the realism for a gritty and suspenseful adventure. Ha Jung Woo is the perfect lead and supported by a couple of Korea's hottest stars, and together they shine, their performances underpinning typically exciting action bits.

This show is surprisingly good. I really love how they combined languages and ethnicity throughout the show. The casting is spot on i.e: if people talk English, they talk English, if they speak Korean they speak Korean. There are some shows that are actually supposed to be speaking Chinese or other languages, but they do that for 10 minutes and then switch to English to make it easier to follow. This is not one of those shows, and in my opinion it really adds to the authenticity of the overall atmosphere. The characters are well developed, and most importantly: it really is an engaging show. I really look forward to see more of it.

Once you pass the 1st episode which is a bit too long (but helpful to understand the main character's personality and motivation) the series gets better and better with a great finale which keeps you on the edge of your seat for 60 minutes. The 6 episodes format is perfect as it allows to develop the story enough while being crisp at the same time.

The story is well built and well paced, the acting very good - not surprising as the show features some top actors from the Korean movie.

Hwang Jung Min nails it as per usual in his role as the ruthless, devilish drug king and finds perfect chemistry with Ha Jung Woo who is equally impressive in this guy-next-door-turned-hero.

Great suspense and action, a must watch for fans of the genre!