Stars: 5/5

This Lifetime production is not your normal cheesy two-hour sob story. “Cocaine Godmother” is a movie about the notorious Griselda Blanco, one of the biggest cocaine dealers in Miami. The movie shows the viewers the guts and glory of this amazing woman. It’s not portraying some boring documentary on someone within history, but re-telling a story of a life who ruled one the most dangerous trades in the world with an iron fist.

Academy Award and Tony Award-winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones stars as Blanco in the film. She wasn’t too fond of playing this role at first because of who Blanco was.

“I mean, morally, everything this woman did and stood for is so the polar opposite of what I believe in and who I am,” Zeta-Jones said.

At a young age, Blanco was already being introduced into a world of corruption and crime. She was born in Cartagena, Colombia and was raised by an abusive mother. She was a young prostitute and her first kill was at the age of 11. As she got older, she ended up joining the infamous Medellín Cartel, where she learned first-hand how to distribute cocaine.

Besides Griselda Blanco  being a notorious criminal, she was a cunning mastermind. To distribute cocaine more effectively, she used models undergarments to smuggle oversees. She had this sewing factory where her workers sewed pockets into bras, girdles and even underwear on to the garments so the woman could hide them without being noticed by security.

Blanco also made more money than any other drug dealer in Miami. She and her family racked up about $8 million a month from cocaine profit alone. She killed anyone who stood in the way of her drug business, including those who took too long to pay her back.

In the film, they explain how Blanco was also famous for creating drive-by shootings. Sadly, that is the same weapon that eventually took her life after she got out of prison.

During her sentencing Blanco was only sentenced to 15 years in prison. She had a body count of over 200 people, but none of them could be pinned directly to her. Including the three husbands she murdered, hint one of her nicknames, “Black Widow.” She only did time of one count of conspiracy and distribution of cocaine.

This movie portrays a woman who was not only the “Queen of Cocaine,” but a true historical figure. Lifetime went into the right direction with this film and really impressed the viewers. Griselda Blanco should be one to remember and written in the history books.