Product: Blow [VHS] (2001)
Rating: 4.0
A Technicolor Life
Every time I watch one of those prison documentaries, the same question comes to my mind: How could someone keep committing crimes, knowing they're going back to prison again and again? Having watched *Blow,* I now know the answer: It just sort of happens.George Jung as played by Johnny Depp has a wheeler-dealer mentality--always out for the next score; getting high on risk-taking; willing to walk into situations that could go seriously wrong at any moment, and roll with whatever happens. How could a guy like that put in his 8 a day at a regular job and be satisfied? Even though George gets "out" of the business periodically, he's only really happy when he's in. It's like his life in the drug business was technicolor and he's trying to live in black and white. Not gonna work.The characters in the film are pretty one-dimensional, which is fine because the movie is really about the story, not the people in it. The only casting I didn't like was Penelope Cruz as George's Colombian wife. I didn't find her character very believable at the beginning; however, she does work out better later on in the movie as the worn-down, disgusted single mom stretching everything to the limit just trying to keep her and her daughter's life together.As far as things to watch out for, there is a lot of swearing, violence, and drug use, which makes sense given the subject matter. Also, if you just quit smoking you might want to wait a few weeks before watching this one as all the characters seem to be puffing on cigs 24/7. But do watch the movie, because it grabs you from the word go and keeps you fascinated the rest of the way, even though you basically know how it's going to turn out. It's also one you can watch more than once or twice, so worth the money to get the DVD.