Product: Blow [VHS] (2001)
Rating: 5.0
"Money isnt real. Its nothing."
"Blow" is based on the true story of George Jung (Johnny Depp in one of his best roles), the loving son of a struggling businessman (Ray Liotta) who, as a child, upon seeing his family struggle to make ends meet and witnessing his mother's (Rachel Griffiths) resentment for his father because of their low income, vows to never be poor. Thus ensues Jung's descent into the world of drugs. He begins his three-decade rise and abrupt fall as a drug lord smuggling pot into the US in his early 20's during the pot-crazed 60's, which garners him an enormous amount of cash. After landing a lengthy jail sentence, he meets Diego Delgado (Jordi Mollà) in jail who introduces George to the far more profitable world of cocaine dealing. He soon shoots to the top of the game and his biggest problem becomes where to put all of his cash. It is said that if you used cocaine during the 70's and 80's, there's an 85% chance it came from Jung.Over the years he struggles with a crack-addicted wife (Penélope Cruz as you've never seen her before), the relationship with his young daughter, and maintaining his relationship with the only person who truly cares for him in the world, his father. Additionally, Jung is portrayed in a sympathetic light as a nice guy who just makes some bad decisions. Usually I disagree with this type of "glamorization" of criminals, but I feel that in Jung's case it is truly deserved."Blow" is not only the fascinating, pulse-pounding, and historically informative chronicle of the rise and fall of one of America's most influential drug lords; it also the exploration of some very deep personal connections, such as very deep father/son connection between George and his father. In addition, George's love for his daughter, who ends up being the single thing motivating him to stay alive throughout his jail sentences, delivers a powerful emotional impact in the film's final scenes. I also appreciated how director Ted Demme delicately showed us the parallels between George's mother's resentment for his father and George's wife's resentment for him after he loses most of his money as well as George's struggle to be a good father just as his own father did.The final scenes of "Blow" are surprisingly moving, which ultimately distinguishes it from all of the other crime films out there.