3 out of 5 stars

Rating: 6/10 (2 February 2002)

This is the MTV version of `Traffic,' the most recent lucid film on America's drug problem. It follows the rise of Massachusetts-bred George Jung (Johnny Depp) from the working class suburbs of Boston to the live-free beaches of California. Jung gets started shipping marijuana between Mexico and California, but, after a quick stint in prison, moves on to the more lucrative business of cocaine shipments from Colombia. Directed Ted Demme (now deceased, probably from drugs) would have us believe that Jung initiated the entire drug trade between Latin America and the United States, starting in the early 1970s. Disregarding this unlikelihood for the moment still leaves us with a film too intent on being cool and hip to take a critical stance on a man that can be criticized (for his greed, cockiness, and irresponsibility) from here to kingdom come. Whereas `Traffic' took a very broad, sweeping stab at analyzing the war on drugs, `Blow' is too content focusing on one very uninspiring man and the ways he fell into a very lucrative, and damaging, business. Depp is good playing the sorry Jung, but Demme does not give any of his actors enough to develop here.