Interesting

Rating: 7/10 (5 May 2005)

The movie "Blow" directed by Paul Demme is the story of George Jung (Johnny Depp), the man who introduced cocaine to the United States. Jung grew up always listening to his parents argue about economical issues. His mother was never happy about his father's salary. Therefore, since his youth, Jung promised himself he would do anything to have money. At the age of 15, Jung moved to California with a friend and was greeted by the worry-less, free-living, marijuana-smoking lifestyles of the Californians. There, Jung and his friend, Tuna, quickly adapted to this lifestyle, and found a quick and easy way to make money by providing the marijuana to the regular users of the coasts of California. Before long, Jung and Tuna became the major suppliers of marijuana, even importing it from Mexico to the United States. Eventually Jung was caught and was sent to jail for a short time. It was in jail, though, where he learned of a new drug: cocaine. He quickly realized how much money one could make off of the distribution of cocaine and became interested in the business. Before long, Jung became the largest supplier of cocaine in the United States throughout the 70s and 80s with the help of his Columbian cocaine supplier, Pablo Escobar. Jung imported 85% of the cocaine distributed in the United States from Columbia. It was not long until Jung was a multi-millionaire, with a Columbian wife (Penelope Cruz) and daughter. His life was all but perfect though. Facing many arrests and health problems, Jung was eventually caught by the United States government, lost all of his money and family , and currently faces a sentence of 60 years in jail. The Latin American countries Mexico and Columbia had a major role during Jung's career as a drug lord for both marijuana and cocaine. Throughout the 70s and 80s, it was difficult for these countries to regulate drug production and exportation because it was a major source of income that was needed. Columbia was especially dependent on the exportation of cocaine because of it's annual income of four to six million dollars. Therefore, the government was often involved in making sure the production of the drugs was never impeded by anything. Not only did it help Mexico and Columbia, it helped the surrounding Latin American countries because the coca needed for producing cocaine was imported from the other countries. Therefore cocaine was a large source of income for many poor Latin American countries. Although not shown much on screen, the director, Paul Demme, represented the Latin American countries accurately. He showed that although the drug business in the Latin American countries was condoned, it was still a shady business that called for a lot of secrecy. The director especially showed the danger and seriousness that comes along with being a drug lord when Paul Escobar is first introduced in person. Demme does a good job of depicting how the Latin American countries are extremely poor in the scenes set in Columbia and Mexico. Demme also does a good job with the plot, making it very intense and always surprising. He plays with the audience's emotions by making one want Jung to get away with his drug use and distribution. He accurately depicts the health problems associated with cocaine and how it is highly addictive throughout the movie. "Blow" is an accurate account of George Jung's life of being a drug lord and addicted to cocaine. Although I would prefer a movie with a happy ending, I would recommend this movie because of it's realistic depiction of cocaine addiction and use, and excellent cinematography. I feel that although this movie does not end the way I would want it, it is a movie that leaves you on the edge of your seat and keeps you intrigued by what is going to happen next. Therefore, I would give this movie a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10, mainly because I prefer happy endings.