Cranston turning in a solid performance anchors this movie, and very strong supporting performances make a mostly paint by numbers conventional movie more interesting and compelling then it would have been otherwise. It's 2016, and we remain to be captivated by the Colombian drug traffickers of the late 80's, which to me, has become tired, though this is a somewhat fascinating story, and I read the book in like 2009. The movie is an improvement, on a sort of dreary slog by an obnoxious narrator, of course wide liberties are taken to add some action and blood, and cocaine, to a story that really is centered on money laundering, and accounting. They aren't unwelcome, if at times, entirely unbelievable.
However, as I said, Cranston performance adds some much needed humanity to the main character, even if he is retreading a less conflicted version of Walter White. Leguaiszamo tears scenery, and Bratt turns in a solid, and commendable performance, even if the characters writing and arc don't give him much to work with. The Colombians are well handled, all the sleazy bankers, and esp. the Colombian Ospina, in all white. There is a more interesting movie here behind the conventions and shortcomings of the story, that must be given to wide audiences. The violence and the characters reactions are well done, one invoking some laughter from me, a lone reaction in my theater. Of course some are ridiculous and some scenarios are not believable at all, but I have covered that.
It's an easy watch, and I had fun watching it, and my intelligence wasn't brutally insulted by explosions and quips, it's an adult movie, if a much too conventional story that checks all the marks, from the opening credits to the title card epilouges of all the main players. A more inclined director could have made this a more nuanced and moving film, with a different script, and insight into the characters, or from a perspective of the direction, which here is competent and only compelling occasionally, with someone like a Weding Refn type, it could have looked amazing. With both, it may have been a great movie.