Yar, you be here: Blow (Infinifilm Edition) > Customer Reviews

Blow (Infinifilm Edition) Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 54 Reviews)

Rise and fall of a drug dealer
This film is far from perfect but it certainly is a time capsule of the 70's annd 80's growth of cocaine culture in the US and the story of one man who played a key role in it's spread. Johnny Depp is fabulous in the lead role as George Jung and the supporting cast is solid, with the possible exception of Penelope Cruz who is ok but probably the weakest performer in the movie.
The story follows the unlikely rise of a middle class kid from the east coast who moves to California in 1968 and begins to make easy money dealing pot. The growing drug culture coincides with his meteroric rise and incredible wealth. Like all morality tales the guy falls just as quickly as he rose and winds up with shattered family relationships and in prison.

Well written and plotted, the film moves briskly through 2 decades of George Jung's life without feeling choppy and the story is always intriguing.

Easily one of Depp's best performances...
This is one of my all time favorite movies. Why would a movie about a notorious American drug dealer be one of my favorites? Simple: the filmakers manage to make you feel sympathetic for George Jung and that, to me, is pretty amazing. Here's a guy who's wrecked millions of lives by distributing and selling cocaine over many years(inbetween prison stints) and 'we' manage to feel sorry for the guy. One example would be the scene where George talks to his wife over the prison phones. She drops the phone, walks away and his young daughter appears standing in the back looking at him. He talks to his daughter, who is angry at him, and after she walks away, George looks up at his wife and violently hits the phone against the glass. Very moving scene... but remember we are talking about a DRUG DEALER(!). Depp is incredible in this, the way he makes you feel sorry for his character, who wants to spend time with his young daughter and manages to keep breaking promises to her. But ultimately it's himself that did him in and he ends up right where he belongs. Prison. I think years down the line Depp will be recognized for this film, not to mention Paul 'Pee Wee Herman' Ruebens and Ray Liotta. Great movie, not so great human beings(in the movie). How ironic that the director of this movie died of a drug overdose. That in itself is pretty sad. Great bonus features-one of the best I've seen on a DVD. Any Depp fans MUST by this. You won't be sorry, not even for a second.

One of Depp's best performances
This is one of those movies that had no immediate appeal to me and I never planned on seeing it. Then one day I find myself watching it and being riveted by the story and Johnny Depp's performance.

Depp plays George Jung who according to the film hooked up with Pablo Escobar and the Colombia drug cartel to bring cocaine into the U.S. Jung was responsible for the cocaine explosion in the 70s and 80s by providing a better product than had been available before. Jung makes millions, gets married to a crazy latin woman played by Penelope Cruz and is living (no pun intended) the high life.

Eventually there are plenty of betrayals and paranoia and Jung gets out of the business and tries to live a normal life with his wife and daughter. But when he needs money he goes back to the only thing he knows, smuggling coke which leads to several arrests, the last with a sentence of 60 years.

I guess part of the reason that movies like this are fascinating is that you know there are people like Jung out there doing these things, but its enlightening when you get to see how they did it and the effect it had on their lives. Jung is portrayed in the film as a decent guy who loves his daughter deeply but who can't stop making stupid decisions that ruin his life.

The performances are very good throughout and the movie moves along at a brisk pace until the last act when it slows some.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Next Page