The rise and fall of a drug smuggler

Rating: 8/10 (28 February 2019)

This film tells the story of George Jung; a man who at one point was responsible for importing a large portion of the cocaine used in the United States. He grew up in Weymouth, Massachusetts, the son of a plumber who went bankrupt when he was ten... George is determined to be more successful. In 1968 he moves to California with a friend and quickly sees the popularity of marijuana as a business opportunity. At first he is moving relatively small quantities but soon he is flying large quantities in from Mexico and selling it on both coasts. Inevitably he gets arrested but time in jail only serves to introduce him to a Colombian with contacts to Pablo Escobar; the infamous head of the Medellin cartel. With his old dope dealing contacts he is soon raking in millions smuggling cocaine. During this time he gets married and has a daughter... the good times can't go on forever though.
In some ways this film reminded me of the 2005 film 'Lord of War' in that its protagonist was deeply involved in a criminal business but was still sympathetic. This may have been helped by the fact that most of the people he dealt with came across as being worse. Set over several decades the film does a good job of capturing the various eras and attitudes. Johnny Depp does an impressive job portraying the highs and lows of George's life; this is aided by make-up that makes him look different ages without it actually looking like he is made up. The rest of the cast does a solid job; this includes Franka Potente as his girlfriend in California; Penélope Cruz as his Colombian wife and Jordi Molla as his Colombian cellmate Diego Delgado. The story has its amusing moments as well as moments of tension that make it an enjoyable watch. It doesn't show the effects of the product George is importing on anybody other than George which could be seen as a bit of a moral problem but of course showing that would make it less enjoyable to watch. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of dramas set in the world of morally ambiguous characters.