Drama
A Man in Full
Talent and intrigue ultimately can’t cloak the truth about this vulgar, crass and graphic drama on Netflix.
When Griselda Blanco arrived in Miami to escape her horrible past, she told her friend Carmen that she wanted a new life—one far away from the danger of drug dealing. In fact, she swore to it when Carmen gave her a room in her home and a job at her travel agency.
But Griselda didn’t show Carmen the kilo of cocaine she brought with her in her 11-year-old son’s bag. She didn’t tell her that she went out each night attempting to find a buyer to sell the block to. And she never mentioned that she was well aware of how she could get more.
Could Griselda stop selling if she wanted to? Oh, sure! Though she has no plans to do so, she’s sure that she leave the business if it truly came down to it…as long as she can close the next sale. And the next one. And the next one.
It turns out Griselda just can’t let the business go, even if it may cost her more than she’d like to pay.
If you know anything about the real Griselda Blanco, a notorious drug dealer who operated in Miami for decades, you know this Netflix show won’t be family friendly.
The series follows the female drug lord’s rise to power in Miami selling cocaine across the city. And if there’s one thing to know about that dirty industry (and as the series will testify), it’s that no one climbs the ladder without getting absolutely filthy themselves.
It’s a ladder filled with onscreen nudity and sex, bloody deaths, heavy swearing and, of course, lots of the white powder. Men violently attack Griselda as well.
“This is what that life does,” Carmen tells Griselda when she learns of Griselda’s drug-ridden plans. “You convince yourself, ‘a little more money, a little more juice,’ then people start getting hurt.”
And Griselda’s only commendation is that it shows just how much pain living such a life will bring.
Griselda arrives in Miami and looks to restart her life dealing cocaine.
Griselda’s husband asks Griselda to have sex with his brother in order to pay off a debt that he’s accrued, and she does so offscreen, very obviously uncomfortable before and after the incident. (Her husband thinks it’s not a big deal since she apparently used to do similar things to get by before.) Griselda wears a dress that reveals cleavage, and a man comments on her breasts. Someone makes a reference to male genitalia. A strip club advertises a couple women in lingerie.
Many men are shot and killed. One man is seen stabbed through the head with a machete. Griselda beats a man in the leg with a bat. Griselda is punched by a man and threatened with a gun. We see Griselda patch up a gunshot wound on her hip with her blood-covered hands.
A few people snort cocaine, and the product is seen a number of times throughout the episode. People drink alcohol and smoke cigars and cigarettes.
The f-word is used over 60 times, and the s-word is heard 13 times. “A–,” “b–ch,” “d–n,” “h—,” “p-ss” and “t-ts” are all used, too. God’s name is used in vain four times, including once in the form of “g-dd–n.” Jesus’ name is used in vain once. Someone displays his middle finger.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
Talent and intrigue ultimately can’t cloak the truth about this vulgar, crass and graphic drama on Netflix.
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