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Blow (Infinifilm Edition) Customer Reviews (40 - 42 of 54 Reviews)

Blow: A Film About An Unapologetic Life...
This is a remarkable film about an exceptional story based on an eventful life. I'm surprised by the number of critics. Does this film try and glorify the drug dealer? No. Is George Jung a hero? No. Is the film's purpose to make him one? No. This is why I have problems with a majority of the critics of this excellent film. Why the criticism? The subject matter? The fact that it was based on a true story?

At any rate, back to the film, which is wonderfully shot backed up by great performances from Johnny Depp, Ray Liotta and Jordi Molla. The film is told from a narrative perspective by George Jung (Johnny Depp) tracing the spectacular rise and fall of the pioneering US cocaine distributor of the 1970's / 80's.

The film moves seamlessly from George's adolescence to adulthood through a number of locations and vividly captures the essence of that decadent era. The sets, costumes and music all work perfectly.

The audience takes an incredible journey, pulled into a world of drug smuggling / distributing, the illusion of 'easy money', ensuing greed and finally betrayal. While many are quick to point out the fact that this person was a "drug dealer" and ponder, "why feel sorry for him?", this misses the point. His story doesn't search for sympathy from the audience, although it is a sad one. It is an unapologetic look at an unapologetic life.

The greatest takeaway from his experience was that he realized too late what was truly important in his life. Simple things, not the money, not the cars, but "real" things as foreshadowed by his father's speech to him as a child. A point that is continually being underscored by his father's unconditional love (wonderfully played by Ray Liotta, a refreshing character change for him) and culminates in his own unconditional love for his daughter - although he is too late to recieve it.

The Depths Of Depp
Johnny Depp plays George Jung, your every day man turned multi-millionaire drug dealer. The amazing journey starts with just a bit of weed going to people on the beach, soon he and his friends are working their way to Mexico in major exports. After a brief stop in jail Depp changes from marijuana to cocaine. Soon Depp has so much money he can't fit anymore in his house. It is in this time he meets his wife-to-be decently played by Penelope Cruz. A mishap with his wife later and he is in jail again. The part about this film that sets it apart from most drug movies is that it shows the highlights of the illegal exchange business but it also shows the bottoming out. The other thing it has is a connection with the characters. You actually begin to feel for Depp as he is separated from the one thing that he loves in his life, his daughter. Franka Potente (Run Lola Run) and Paul Rubin (Pee Wee Herman) also have roles in this film that has heart and substance(s).

Sympathy for a monster?
This is a movie about a major drug dealer, George Jung, who is presently serving federal time for smuggling cocaine. The movie attempts to make the audience feel sympathetic towards this poor dope, who just made a few mistakes (as other reviewers say) and wound up in prison. But the regrets the character expresses in the movie, and those the real Jung expresses in an interview on the DVD, are all about getting caught. He apparently feels no regrets over his actions, only that they led him to prison.

In a DVD extra, his daughter (in the movie) says, Most kids when they think of their fathers think of them driving them places, doing things with them, but when I think of my father, I think of kids smoking crack. Right on.

The movie is depressingly... um, I can't spell it, anti-woman. All the women are bad people, even the daughter who never visits her father in prison. Oh, and yet another terrific performance from Rachel Griffiths, who goes from strength to strength.

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