This Film Will "BLOW" Your Mind

Rating: 9/10 (24 January 2020)

Blow narrates the life of George Jung (Johnny Depp), an average blue collared kid who turns into a kingpin of the cocaine industry. Ted Demme, the director, takes the audience on an emotional ride from the '60s and through the '80s.
Once he turned 18, Jung moved to the west coast in search of money and prosperous life. To earn quick cash, Jung starts to sell marijuana with his partner Tuna. (Ethan Suplee) Eventually, Jung ends up in jail due to getting set up by his mother. While serving his 26-month sentence, our "protagonist" drug dealer meets Diego Delgado (Jordi Mollà). Delgado influences Jung to pursue the cocaine industry due to high demand and greater profits.
The beginning of the film is very entertaining and lively. The characters are witty and humorous, but at the same time serious and down to earth, especially Johnny Depp. This movie shows the versatility of Depp based on the role he plays. He can play entertaining roles like Captain Jack Sparrow in "The Pirates of the Carribean" or Willy Wonka in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", but also personable characters like George Jung in Blow. The other actors and actresses from the film also did extremely well, such as Penelope Cruz, as Mirtha, and Ray Liotta and Fred.
After his release, Jung meets with Columbian kingpin Pablo Escobar (Cliff Curtis). The two men become business partners, which helps Jung become the largest cocaine exporter of the United States. After many years of being on top of the drug world, Jung severs his relationship with many of the other powerful drug lords and the cartel.
Jung attempts to focus on his personal life, his wife and little girl. Not only does George Jung go through legal troubles, but he also goes through relationship problems. His wife divorces him and his daughter no longer trusts him. For a man that once had the world at his fingertips, he falls off of the deep end.
Once Jung reaches his downfall, so does the movie. Compared to the beginning of the movie which kept the audience on the edge of their seat, the ending becomes dull. There was so much action and excitement early in the movie, but the audience can quickly lose interest once Jung dissociates himself from the cartel and Escobar's men This is where movies like the Wolf of Wall Street or Scarface have the upper hand on Blow. It is more entertaining and engaging throughout the entirety of the film.
The movie ends with George Jung spending his final years in prison. Jung has realized that fame, money, and power should have come second to his relationship with his daughter. Even though Jung is in prison for being a drug dealer and cocaine addict, we find ourselves feeling sympathetic for him. This is due to the great work by Depp and Demme. To the public, Jung is a horrible man, but to the audience, they can relate to him. Through his hardships and challenges, the viewer can relate this to their own lives, even if they do not sell hard drugs.
2001's Blow is one of the best drug movies of that decade. For being a lower budget film (30 Million Dollars), Blow can blow your mind. My expectations were not very high for this flick, but I was entertained through the characters and the plot. Blow will be watched and enjoyed for years to come, even though it was released 20 years ago.