An excellent HBO series set in Chile that follows in the tradition of other well received efforts, most notably, "Epitafios I and II" shot in Argentina. "Profugos" is worth watching because it shows the best of Chilean talent in action.
The premise of the series is a drug deal that misfires. Cocaine is brought from Bolivia to Chile to be shipped from there overseas. The group involved is the Ferragut family controlled from prison by Kika, the matriarch. Her right hand man, Salamanca is a heartless criminal, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Salamanca's troubles go back to the Pinochet era. Vicente Feragut, the son of the woman in jail, must take a second role in the deal. The other members are, Mario Moreno, a man without scruples and an undercover policeman, Tegui.
The processed drug comes to Chile aboard a gasoline truck. After crossing the border, the next stop is to get the cocaine in wine bottles to be exported. The operation is extremely professional. The initial drop off point was Iquique in the North of Chile, but then, plans are changed to Valparaiso, where a supporting team of the Ferraguts are in place to see that everything is transfer to a merchant ship. Unknown to Tegui, the Ferraguts have three snipers in place, and the police is undercover at the drop site waiting for them at the pier where a bloody battle ensues.
The following chapters show to what extent these criminals will go in their fight against the forces that are following their steps. The direction is shared by Chilean Pablo Larrain, and Jonathan Jakubowicz from Venezuela. The vision of the writing team composed by Josefina Hernandez, Pablo Illanes, Mateo Iribarren and Pablo Videla, makes exciting television. With the resources of HBO, the end result is one of the best series about power, drug trafficking and law enforcement.
The four principals do a wonderful job. Francisco Reyes, Nestor Cantillana, Luis Gnecco, and Benjamin Vicuna, a promising young actor whose career has expanded to other international films. The supporting cast is excellent as well, notably, Claudia Di Girolamo, Angelica Castro, Antonia Zegers, Blanca Lewin, Amparo Noguera.
The beauty of the country comes through in the great cinematography by Sergio Armstrong that photographs the action throughout Chile in spectacular locations.
The premise of the series is a drug deal that misfires. Cocaine is brought from Bolivia to Chile to be shipped from there overseas. The group involved is the Ferragut family controlled from prison by Kika, the matriarch. Her right hand man, Salamanca is a heartless criminal, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Salamanca's troubles go back to the Pinochet era. Vicente Feragut, the son of the woman in jail, must take a second role in the deal. The other members are, Mario Moreno, a man without scruples and an undercover policeman, Tegui.
The processed drug comes to Chile aboard a gasoline truck. After crossing the border, the next stop is to get the cocaine in wine bottles to be exported. The operation is extremely professional. The initial drop off point was Iquique in the North of Chile, but then, plans are changed to Valparaiso, where a supporting team of the Ferraguts are in place to see that everything is transfer to a merchant ship. Unknown to Tegui, the Ferraguts have three snipers in place, and the police is undercover at the drop site waiting for them at the pier where a bloody battle ensues.
The following chapters show to what extent these criminals will go in their fight against the forces that are following their steps. The direction is shared by Chilean Pablo Larrain, and Jonathan Jakubowicz from Venezuela. The vision of the writing team composed by Josefina Hernandez, Pablo Illanes, Mateo Iribarren and Pablo Videla, makes exciting television. With the resources of HBO, the end result is one of the best series about power, drug trafficking and law enforcement.
The four principals do a wonderful job. Francisco Reyes, Nestor Cantillana, Luis Gnecco, and Benjamin Vicuna, a promising young actor whose career has expanded to other international films. The supporting cast is excellent as well, notably, Claudia Di Girolamo, Angelica Castro, Antonia Zegers, Blanca Lewin, Amparo Noguera.
The beauty of the country comes through in the great cinematography by Sergio Armstrong that photographs the action throughout Chile in spectacular locations.