Summary
The Snitch Cartel: Origins requires weeks of dedication for a story we have seen numerous times in various forms; I’m not sure it is worth it.
This review of Netflix’s The Snitch Cartel: Origins season 1 does not contain spoilers.
At a comprehensive sixty episodes, there’s no way I can foresee if this turned out to be the best crime series of all time. Still, based on the opening chapters, you can only assume that this is a typical cartel story centered around family. The Snitch Cartel: Origins reeks of a soapy melodrama, spanning decades, coupled with cheesy music to accompany the dramatic moments.
Following two brothers who balance romance, family, and ambition in the 60s and 70s, the Netflix series sees the Cali family trying to rule Columbia’s drug industry — a remarkable target. But this series does not have that murky undertone that we are so used to in cartel stories; it barely has that gritty feel that reels viewers in with tonally dark shifts. The camera remains up close to the characters when they talk, and the scenes are simplistically shot and basic. Make this a weekly episodic series, and you have something worth waiting for; as a binge-watch, it’s a little tiresome and charmless.
The Snitch Cartel: Origins does have some power in the story. It manages to coerce the known story of the rise of an empire, how desperate men manage to rise to the top of the crop, and where money becomes secondary to power. The rise of criminal lords is always fascinating as it expects the audience to understand their development, no matter how confusing or ambiguous. This is no Breaking Bad or Narcos, but the intentions are the same, even if they are surface-level and soft.
I certainly wouldn’t recommend the Netflix series. At 60 episodes, it’s a slog. It requires an amount of dedication that wasn’t sold in the first 10 chapters. I often wonder why Netflix releases these extremely lengthy stories, and I can only assume that they’ve grabbed the rights of an international soap, and they sell it on the streaming service as one long season.
The Snitch Cartel: Origins requires weeks of dedication for a story we have seen numerous times in various forms; I’m not sure it is worth it.
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