DRUG LORD'S TALE MAKES FICTION PALE

The tale of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is so riveting that it makes
fictional takes on the cocaine wars like the recent "Kingpin" look
positively tame by comparison.

Escobar controlled the drug traffic in Colombia for the better part of two
decades. He lived like a king -- his mansion included a fully stocked zoo
- -- and he maintained his own private army to protect his holdings. He had
such influence in the country that he was once elected to the legislature.
He killed hundreds of people, enemies and innocents; fought the Colombian
police to a standstill; and eventually took on the might of the United
States government.

So engrossing is the story of Escobar's life -- and death in December 1993
- -- that you can almost forgive the flaws in "The True Story of Killing
Pablo" which airs tonight at 9 on the History Channel. Based on an
excellent book, "Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw,"
by journalist Mark Bowden, the documentary is clunky and filled with
jarring re-enacted scenes so fake that they border on cheesy.

Still, the commentary by Bowden, interviews with those involved, such as
DEA agent Javier Pena and the former U.S. ambassador to Colombia, Morris
Busby, and the sheer fascination of Escobar's life and times will keep you
tuned in. In particular, Bowden -- best known as the author of "Black Hawk
Down" -- proves as good a storyteller in person as he is in print.

And Bowden is also the one person in the film who draws a clean and
persuasive line from Escobar to Osama Bin Laden. Despite all the best
efforts of the Colombian paramilitary police and the direct and indirect
involvement of the CIA, the DEA, the FBI and the Pentagon's Delta Force,
Escobar eluded capture for years. His ability to move in the shadows and
avoid detection amply demonstrates just how hard it is to capture a man
with resources who doesn't want to be captured.