The Greatest and Best Johnny Depp Picture?

Rating: 8/10 (25 March 2010)

George Jung (Johnny Depp) grew up in a struggling middle class home, and wanted better for himself. After being introduced to the marijuana trade by his friend Tuna (Ethan Suplee), he goes on to learn cocaine dealing and becomes a very big man... the American end of Pablo Escobar.
This could be Johnny Depp's finest hour. He is not charismatic, he isn't flamboyant, he just acts a role... and blends in perfectly. I found him absolutely believable, which is tricky when you're as big a man as Depp. You tend to see Depp as Depp and not his character, but here he fit in fine.
Director Ted Demme put this together very smoothly, but strangely enough died of a cocaine overdose, or at least with cocaine in his system, after the film was finished. One might think this film would scare people away from cocaine, but maybe it only scares dealers...
Penelope Cruz is at one of her worst appearances here, and Ray Liotta comes up about even: he is good, but not one of his standout roles. Paul Reubens is delightful, and I wouldn't mind seeing more of him... but perhaps he is best in small doses.
There's some level of sympathy here. Jung crossed an imaginary line with plants, and does begin to realize the importance of family as time goes on. It's a tough call: is dealing wrong? If use is not wrong, and dealers only deal to consenting adults, is that a horrible thing? I think it's a matter of debate.
Definitely worth seeing for anyone who likes Johnny Depp or wants to see a true story of the cocaine trade in the 1970sand 1980s. Sure, some of it is a bit of a stretch, but the basic facts seem to be true.