MovieChat Forums > Narcos (2015) Discussion > Why do we love the bad guy ?

Why do we love the bad guy ?

posted 9 years ago by awrobel
60 replies | jump to latest

This show just continues the age-old tradition of bad guy films and our love affair with them. This genre has always seemed to
grab the interest of the public in ways few other genres have. As far back as the 30's when the likes of Cagney, Robinson, and Bogart were portraying the gangster we all loved, to the Pacino, DeNiro,and Pesci of today the intrigue and adoration for these characters go unabated. In Narcos the focus on Escobar is exponentially engrossing because of the enormous wealth and international dimensions he was to achieve, then given the political ramifications of the story and the plot becomes almost surreal in quality. After watching the first four episodes, I have grown to love Moura's portrayal for its simplicity and economy of manners. Watching him as he lifts his belt buckle, a mannerism I assume the real Pablo might have had, indicates his everyman nature and decisiveness. The ruthlessness is masked by the apparent calm that is consistently displayed by Moura in most crucial moments. Unquestionably the actor has captured the essence of the character and elevated himself in the process. Consequently, the bad guy once again reigns and we the public continue to love it as we witness the rise and fall that emerges.

[–] cdz6969 9 years ago

Tony Soprano was a bad guy.. and everyone rooted for him. Why? Because they based the show around him. If there was a show which was based around Pablo and his family and we see how even though she cheats on his wife, he'd still kill for her and his kids. But since we mostly see how his henchmen just evil piece of $%^&s.. We don't have the same rooting interest.

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[–] bahlsdheep 9 years ago

I don't know if people really root for these guys because they are bad per se. It's more because, regardless of what they choose to use their abilities for, these guys/girls are cunning, smart, intelligent, and in many ways charismatic and larger than life. They definitely hit on certain archetypes that appeal to people.

[–] gregoryno6 9 years ago

the bad guy once again reigns and we the public continue to love it

All the way back to the story of the Garden of Eden, the bad guy has usually been the most interesting guy.
God/the sheriff/the good family man is solid and dependable. They deliver stability. But stability gets boring after a while.
We love the bad guy because the bad guy is the agent of change.

[–] AmosNomore 9 years ago

Moura's voice is mesmerizing.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] CapitanJusticia 9 years ago

And I'm rooting for the Colombian police 😉

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] hhhthegame-65996 9 years ago

TEAM PABLO ALL THE WAY!!! We like him because at first he is just a regular fun-loving smuggler and by the end of it he is a ruthless violent sociopath. That transformation makes him all the more lovable

[–] lukas1985 9 years ago

Cause they turned him into a quiet lovable teddy bear.

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[–] Sodominion 9 years ago

Because he's one of the protagonist of the series and bad guys, the more crazier they are, make up for more interesting characters. And yes I was rooting for Pablo Escobar. Just like how I loved the portrayal Tony Soprano, Vic Mackey, Walter White, Al Swearengen, Hannibal, Stringer Bell etc etc. It's not really if the character is good or evil...it's about the way it is written and acted out. And the writers do portray him in a more sympathetic light...makes him more human. And it isn't like they do not portay him as some misunderstood do-gooder humanitarian. They show him to be a callous and cunning megalomaniac yet the viewer still likes him.

[–] 9 years ago

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