Blow

Starring: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ray Liotta
Directed by: Ted Demme
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Box Office: $52,990,775
2001

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Follows the rise and fall of George Jung (Johnny Depp) as he builds a marijuana empire, and then combines it with Columbian cocaine, almost single-handedly bringing the cocaine trade to the U.S. and building a drug empire unlike any seen in American history.

Review:

Tim: I should mention up front that I am not a big drug-trafficking movie fan. I absolutely did not like Traffic, and I had serious reservations about this film. I am pleased to say that I did enjoy this film very much, which means all the more coming from someone who upfront states this is not the type of movie they prefer to watch.

The movie was not incredibly excellent, but quietly did what it did very well. This film was not out to change the world, but simply to tell the interesting story of the rise and fall of George Jung, and entertain you while doing so. And, that is exactly what it did. The film was powerful, very well acted, and very emotion-driven. There are very few if any flaws to mention.

Johnny Depp was very, very good as Jung. This is the type of role in which Depp really fits nicely in, but I believe Depp fans will be glad to see a slightly different side to the usual Depp role. His performance is definitely worth seeing.

I really did not like Penelope Cruz in this film. I am not saying she did not do a good job, but this is not the type of role I see her succeeding in. I think it is very interesting to see her play a darker, more serious non-likeable role, but she definitely needs to stick to lighter roles, like her performance in Vanilla Sky. I have not seen an incredible amount of Cruz, so I admit I am not as familiar with her as I am some other actors, but I have enjoyed what I’ve seen, even if I didn’t particularly care for her in this type of role.

Ray Liotta fans will definitely want to check out this film. Liotta has played so many darker, bad guy roles that it is so nice to see him in a lighter, genuinely good guy role. He plays Jung’s father brilliantly, invoking powerful emotions from his performance. While Depp’s acting truly takes the movie where it is going, Liotta brightens every scene he is in, and leaves you waiting for the next one in which he will appear. Blow would not have had as much appeal to me as it did without the performance of Ray Liotta.

This is a good film. If you enjoy darker, more tragic films, you must see this. If you enjoy the drug-trafficking, cops trying to bust rich drug dealers who possess so much money that they can buy their way around customs operators, who believe the U.S. border is simply an imaginary line that they can cross with countless pounds of cocaine… then this film is for you. If you aren’t big on that type of film, if you disliked Traffic, then I hope you put all of that aside and take a look at this film. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Traffic, Vanilla Sky, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow