The Two Escobars inventively weaves the stories of the soccer player, Andrés Escobar, with that of the drug lord, Pablo Escobar. The two are tangentially related in that Pablo funneled drug money into the Columbian national soccer team at the time Andrés was playing for them. The money fueled great success for the Columbian team bringing them to the verge of winning the World Cup in 1994.

Both Escobars were popular during this time, Pablo for being a populist who donated money to the poorest communities in the face of governmental indifference, and Andrés for being the face of the success of the National Team. The film explores the complex situation that arose from drug money being used for such popular and legitimate causes. Of course, the crime and violence associated with this influence eventually results in tragedy. The Two Escobars excels at placing the story in context, showing the poverty of Columbia and the effects of the United States’ War on Drugs.

The film presents an undeniably fascinating story but, unfortunately, the filmmakers do not have enough faith in the inherent drama of this history. In case the viewer does not understand the seriousness of the situations, the filmmakers rely heavily on slow motion and these terribly cheesy close-ups of the interviewees. Most annoyingly, they also rely on INCESSANTLY present dramatic soundtrack.

The film was produced for ESPN and contains overlong montages of soccer matches which could have easily been pared down for a more general audience.

These factors do not totally detract from the astonishing story but are often distracting. Re-edited with more subtle music, The Two Escobars could be a fantastic documentary.