Look back in anger
By John Esther
Right in the middle of the greatest sporting event on the planet comes this documentary by Jeff and Michael Zimbalist.
Back in the early 1990s, Columbia was in the midst of a huge drug war. With notorious kingpin Pablo Escobar at the helm, the country was working its way to the highest murder rate in the world. There were tough times for Colombians, but there was hope for a nation tattered and tarnished by organized crime: the Columbia national soccer team.
Lead by Andres Escobar, and backed by considerable bloody money, the team rose to the ranking of fourth in the world when they entered the World Cup games in Los Angeles, 1994.
Gunned down the previous December, one day after his 44th birthday, Pablo never saw the national team play in LA and, if he had, things might have turned out a lot better for the team and Andres. They could not have been worse.
Without giving the game(s) away here, suffice it to say this Summer Showcase selection is one really riveting documentary about a nation strapped under the boots of crime and outside forces above the law.
Highly Recommended.
(The Two Escobars screens June 18, 7:30 p.m., Regal Cinemas; June 20, 4:30 p.m., Regal Cinemas)
