Blow [DVD] [2001]

It's certainly a roller coaster ride plotting the highs (literally) and lows of his "career". Determined not to follow his father into a life of trying to make ends meet, and trying to satisfy his materialistic mother, the young George winds up in California where every girl is an air hostess and there is enough grass to keep even the most demanding parties rocking on the beech all night. Buying and selling small amounts is just the start and soon enough George is flying in tons of grass from Mexico to feed the insatiable habit of hundreds of young Californians.

The party would seem to have come to an end when George is sent to prison for handling drugs (believe it or not) but is simply released a couple of years later knowing a hell of a lot more about the business from his Columbia cell mate.

The problem with any film like this is the temptation to glorify either the person or their lifestyle. To its credit I would say the film does neither and the viewer never really connects with the George character and instead views him as somewhat of a loser. Although the film never shows the dirty nasty side of the drugs industry is doesn't portray George as having any pleasure from his ill gotten gains and apart from a couple of flashy suits we never see what George spends his money on.

Johnny Depp plays the role of George with much aplomb and shows that his is an actor of considerable talent. There is some great support from the likes of Ray Liotta as George's father and even Penelope Cruz is not too bad, although her character is a right old handful!

At over two hours long the film is very entertaining and never starts to drift at all and the wonderful costumes and sets of the 70s and 80s are a real joy. The stomping soundtrack is also a welcome addition.

It follows him on his quest to make a different life for himself than he knew in childhood. Where his father (Ray Liotta) was an honest, hard working family man with a troubled marriage and little money.

When he moves to California with a friend they decide to make some extra cash by selling weed on the beach. Before long they are involved with Derek Foreal (played by Paul Reubens - remember Pee Wee Herman?) and flying to Columbia to buy cocaine direct from the producer and fly it back to America.

At the height of his success he has the American cocaine market pretty much sewn up, a beautiful wife, a big house, a collection of fast cars and a lot of cash. But as the saying goes, crime doesn't pay, and you know this can't last. When things start to go bad they go really bad, partners double-cross him, the money is gone and his marriage is over. Soon enough all he has left is the love of his daughter, but can he even keep that?

Johnny Depp is excellent in this role and you can share his excitement as the deals grow bigger and bigger and the money rolls in, as well as his sadness as things go downhill. The supporting performances from Ray Liotta and Paul Foreal are also very good. The film is accompanied by a great soundtrack, and despite it's length it never feels dragged out.

If you liked Almost Famous you will like this film, both bring you on a trip of emotional highs and lows of a true life story.

Well directed by the late Ted Demme, the film is compelling and absorbing as it recounts George Jung's incredible odyssey in the drug trade, tracking the rise of the cocaine industry in the United States, attendant with all its violence. Johnny Depp, in the role of George Jung, makes him into a likable guy who has bitten off more than he can chew, with ultimately dire results. His is a search for the American Dream, a dream that forever remains elusive.

Ray Liotta is terrific in the role of George's father, Fred Jung, a sensitive and devoted everyman married to a hard, selfish woman, Ermine Jung, a woman who lacks all motherly instincts and is played with gritty determination by Rachel Griffiths. Jordi Molla is excellent in the role of Diego, George's entree into the world of high stakes, cocaine dealing, and Cliff Curtis is excellent as Escobar, the Columbian drug cartel's main man. Penelope Cruz is terrible as George's beautiful Latina wife, Mirtha. She is simply a bad actress whose English is often unintelligible. With the exception of Ms. Cruz, however, the cast is uniformly excellent.

This is the story about a young man who, faced with choices in his life, made the wrong ones and lived to regret it. Johnny Depp captures the pathos of Jung's wasted life. That his characterization is dead on is brought home by Ted Demme's wonderful interview of the real George Jung. This interview is one of the numerous bonus features on this DVD and is well worth watching. It is a poignant interview, as it underscores that Jung's was a life wasted. It also serves to illustrate just how remarkable Depp's characterization of Jung really is. All in all, this is a vibrant, informative, and entertaining film.