“Blow” – R – New This Week to Video/DVD
This is a true story about the most infamous drug dealer in the United States history.
George Jung (Johnny Depp) grew up in a relatively normal household. His father (Ray Liotta) adored him and would do anything to protect him. They did not have a lot of money which made his mother (Rachel Griffiths) angry. She left George and his father a few times, but always came back. When George was just 10 years old, he decided he would never be poor.
In 1968, George moved to California with his friend, “The Tuna” (Ethan Suplee). They wanted to have money, but did not want to work. George’s new girlfriend, Barbara (Franka Potente) introduces him to a friend of hers, Derek (Paul Reubens) who is the local pot dealer. “Tuna, ” George and Derek decide to go into “business” together.
This is just the beginning for George. He soon is transporting marijuana from California to the East Coast. But his luck soon runs out when he is caught with 660lbs of pot. On top of that he finds out that Barbara, the love of his life, is dying of cancer. The gang soon breaks up. George goes to jail and meets his new partner, Diego (Jordi Mollá).
When the two jailbirds get out of prison, Diego takes George to Colombia and introduces him to the renowned drug Lord, Pablo Escobar (Cliff Curtis). Escobar wants a man in the US to transport his cocaine and thinks George is just that man. Their dealings start in 1976 and prove very profitable for all involved. At one point George deposited 32 million dollars into his foreign bank account. But how long can their good fortunes continue?
Bruce Porter wrote the book that the film is based on and David McKenna wrote the screenplay. Ted Demme directed it. I did like how the story was put together. Being a true story, they had to add more details then a regular movie would, but it was added in a way that kept me interested. I have read a lot of reviews about this movie and most people did not think it was that great. I don’t think it is a bad movie. I found it very interesting how the cocaine problem became so big in the US in the 70’s and 80’s. The main character, George Jung (Depp), is narrating the movie and he states that if you did coke in the late 70’s or early 80’s there is an 80% chance it came from him. That statement alone tells how big Jung was in the importation of drugs to the US.
Johnny Depp’s portrayal of this drug dealer was fantastic. He became the character which, at times, you sympathized with. His intense father/son scenes with Ray Liotta were also among the heartwarming moments of the film. Depp was also a prime candidate to play Jung because of how much he could look like him. They had to lighten his hair, but that was about it. Add a sheik 70’s wardrobe and you have a twin!
I wanted to say that I did not like Penelope Cruz in this movie, but I can’t do that. I can state that I did not like her character! She played George’s wife, Mirtha, and she was not a very nice woman. She was a big cocaine user, even while pregnant, and caused George additional stresses in his life. So, what I need to say now is that Cruz’s performance was very convincing because she was able to make me seriously dislike her character.
Pee Wee Herman AKA Paul Reubens made his acting comeback in this movie. He played a gay drug dealer and did well with his role. It’s hard for someone who knows him as Pee Wee to take him seriously in a movie. But he was pretty good. I don’t know if this will jumpstart his career, but he did land the host spot on the new game show, “You Don’t Know Jack!”
Overall, I would recommend the movie. It is a little slow moving, but I found it fascinating how easily it was to smuggle drugs back then. I also liked learning about a person that I wasn’t very familiar with. It is worth a watch if you are curious about drug smuggling, know about the story, want to know about it or love Johnny Depp!
Enjoy!
©2001 KAC