Entertaining, but over-rated and artificial...

Rating: 2/10 (18 April 2005)

BLOW has the advantage of being based on the fascinating true story of George Jung, the drug czar who introduced cocaine into our American market, but the enormous disadvantage of a director without his own voice. The details of his Jung's life are very interesting, and Johnny Depp is always watchable, but director Ted Demme so frequently and obviously mimicks better filmmakers that the whole movie begins to seem artificial. BLOW aspires to be as epic and energizing as underworld classics like GOODFELLAS and BOOGIE NIGHTS, but brings absolutely nothing original to the genre. The lively, colorful production design, wandering camera movements, and retro rock soundtrack seem to be pages ripped right out the Martin Scorsese and PT Anderson textbooks. BLOW is an interesting history lesson if you're curious about the drug culture, but feels like a cheap knock-off as a film, right down to the bad wigs worn by Johnny Depp.