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

Blow (Infinifilm Edition) Customer Reviews (49 - 51 of 54 Reviews)

"Money isnt real. Its nothing."
"Blow" is based on the true story of George Jung (Johnny Depp in one of his best roles), the loving son of a struggling businessman (Ray Liotta) who, as a child, upon seeing his family struggle to make ends meet and witnessing his mother's (Rachel Griffiths) resentment for his father because of their low income, vows to never be poor. Thus ensues Jung's descent into the world of drugs. He begins his three-decade rise and abrupt fall as a drug lord smuggling pot into the US in his early 20's during the pot-crazed 60's, which garners him an enormous amount of cash. After landing a lengthy jail sentence, he meets Diego Delgado (Jordi Mollà) in jail who introduces George to the far more profitable world of cocaine dealing. He soon shoots to the top of the game and his biggest problem becomes where to put all of his cash. It is said that if you used cocaine during the 70's and 80's, there's an 85% chance it came from Jung.

Over the years he struggles with a crack-addicted wife (Penélope Cruz as you've never seen her before), the relationship with his young daughter, and maintaining his relationship with the only person who truly cares for him in the world, his father. Additionally, Jung is portrayed in a sympathetic light as a nice guy who just makes some bad decisions. Usually I disagree with this type of "glamorization" of criminals, but I feel that in Jung's case it is truly deserved.

"Blow" is not only the fascinating, pulse-pounding, and historically informative chronicle of the rise and fall of one of America's most influential drug lords; it also the exploration of some very deep personal connections, such as very deep father/son connection between George and his father. In addition, George's love for his daughter, who ends up being the single thing motivating him to stay alive throughout his jail sentences, delivers a powerful emotional impact in the film's final scenes. I also appreciated how director Ted Demme delicately showed us the parallels between George's mother's resentment for his father and George's wife's resentment for him after he loses most of his money as well as George's struggle to be a good father just as his own father did.

The final scenes of "Blow" are surprisingly moving, which ultimately distinguishes it from all of the other crime films out there.

Crime doesn't pay but there's some fun along the way
Starring Johnny Depp, this story is based on the life of George Jung, a drug dealer who made millions of dollars in the 1970s and is now serving a long prison sentence. As a young man, George goes to California and teams up with a flamboyant gay hairdresser, played by Paul Reubens, to sell marijuana. After a short prison sentence where he meets Jordi Molla, a Colombian drug dealer, he graduates to cocaine. All this is done with relative ease against a background of the exaggerated hairstyles and clothing that seem like artificial props. His first girlfriend, Franka Potente is a stewardess who helps him get started by smuggling marijuana in her travel bag; his second girlfriend, Penelope Cruz is enamoured by his money. All of this casting is excellent and the craziness that was the 70s comes through loud and clear.

I liked the cinematography. The period of the 1950s was shot in an over-exposed brightness. And there were quick snapshot montages which were well done. The action moved quickly and I was intrigued throughout although the presence of Ray Liotta, cast as George's father, kept reminding me of "Goodfellas" which was a much better film. It is hard to relate to the Johnny Depp character however. His life was a tragedy but yet he seemed shallow. Perhaps this is by design because the writers did not want to glorify a drug dealer. It did glorify the money though, and the high-living lifestyle that it brought even though it blew away just like everything else. Even though I wasn't deeply moved, I do recommend this film. The moral is that crime doesn't pay, although we do see some of the fun along the way.

Overall, an entertaining movie
Johnny Depp: excellent. Ray Liotta: not convincing as Jung's father. Penelope Cruz: tiresome. The score: rocks. Editing: moves the story along, truly good. Subject matter: well-worn. Main character narration: been there, done that. Throw all the elements of Blow into a bowl, mix and pour, and you've got a very, very good movie. Not the best -- Goodfellas wins that prize for this type of film -- not the worst, and not even "just fair." But good. I sat down to watch it, skeptical at first. But as soon as the opening tune began and the narration kicked in -- done before in other films or not -- I was hooked and pleasantly surprised. So, he's a drug dealer. But he's well-played by Depp and his story is one of regret. Though many reviewers didn't feel for the guy at all, I did. The story is about drugs. Not exactly the Brady Bunch. But far more interesting.

Previous Page

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

Next Page