Blow Review
by "Robin Clifford" (rclifford AT teloquent DOT com)April 13th, 2001
"Blow"
In the '60's George Jung (Johnny Depp) was a small-time pot dealer with big ambitions. When a fateful arrest for possession of 640 pounds of marijuana, and being finked on by his own mother, puts him in Federal prison, he meets Diego Delgado (Jordi Molla), the man who introduces George, and millions of Americans, to the evils of cocaine in the true life story, "Blow."
"Blow" is a biopic with a difference. It not only follows the rise and fall of George Jung, it also chronicles the events that led to the nationwide epidemic of cocaine use and the rise of Pablo Escobar (Cliff Curtis) and the Colombian cocaine cartel into a multi-billion dollar industry. George may simply have been in the right place at the right time, but he did, for a period of years, control 85% of the cocaine flow into this country.
Helmer Ted Demme, using a script by Nick Cassavetes and David McKenna of Bruce Porter's true life saga about George Jung, bites off a rather large chunk in a biography that spans five decades and introduces, literally, dozens of characters as the episodes of the drug trafficker's life are unfolded before us. It starts off low key with Weymouth MA-born Jung leaving the home of his loving father (Ray Liotta) and troubled mother (Rachel Griffiths) and relocating to California's Manhattan Beach in the 60's. To make some easy money, he starts to peddle pot to kids on the beach and soon becomes known as Boston George. An old friend from the east (Max Perlich) tips him that there is a lot of money to be made selling pot to students in Boston. This begins a different spin on the American Dream of profit and greed, as pot selling becomes pot smuggling, which opened the door for the invasion of cocaine, a plague on America that lasted through the 70's and 80's.
"Blow" is an ambitious effort that tells one man's story, episode by episode, as George, several times, rises and falls, eventually losing everything, including his beloved daughter
Kristina Sunshine. The inception of the cocaine biz in the US is shown in high-octane spurts depicting the nuts and bolts of the dog-eat-dog drug business. The human side of the flick is played through George's love for his daughter, the product of a very bad marriage with Mirtha (Penelope Cruz), a beautiful, coke tooting, bitch of a woman who uses Kristina as a weapon against George.
Johnny Depp is given the daunting task of making a real person out of George Jung. The talented actor is able to credibly span the 30+ years of George's adult life, as Depp plays Jung as a likable salesman who is not beyond taking a chance when there is a bunch of money to be made. George's face shows the signs of age and wear and tear as the arc of his life eventually lands him in prison forever. Depp gives sensitivity and dimension to the character that sustains the bio portion of the film. This is good as the rest of the large cast, due to the episodic nature of the story, come and go in pretty short order.
Of the ensemble, a few are notable in their small but important roles. Paul Reubens as George's partner and eventual betrayer, hairdresser Derek Foreal, gives his role the appropriate flair it needs. Spanish star Jordi Molla, as Diego, lasts quite a few years in George's life and develops his character well. Rachel Griffiths and Ray Liotta give depth to their roles as George's mom and dad. Franka Potente ("Run Lola Run") is only around for a short time as George's girlfriend, Barbara, but the actress gives a nice perf in the small role. Cliff Curtis is deadly as the ruthless Escobar. Cruz gets to be a meanie and pulls it off as the selfish, drug abusing Mirtha.
Production-wise, "Blow" does a solid job of giving each era of the story its own period look and feel. Photography, by Ellen Kuras, is straightforward without being overly stylish. Costuming, by Mark Bridges, suits each period while giving George a particular, continuing style that spans the years. The rest of the behind the camera techs are first-rate.
"Blow" is an ambitious effort that tries hard to keep its episodes flowing from one to the next and succeeds most of the time. Johnny Depp, who also voices the narration in a convincing Boston accent, is the one thread that that is drawn through the whole tapestry and is good, but not great. The movie works well enough on its two levels, though, and I give it a B.
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