Product: Blow [VHS] (2001)
Rating: 5.0
'LIFE PASSES MOST PEOPLE BY WILE THEY'RE MAKING GRAND PLANS'
BLOW is, in my opinion, one of the most well structured films ever made. By the way, I know the title to this review is a little funny, but that isn't how I planned it. Anyway, this film was from director, Ted Demme, who sadly died a year or so after this film was released. He did an incredibly great job with this movie. Demme was able to combine drama,comedy,violence, and the facts with a great cast, including Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ray Liotta, Franka Potenta, Paul Reubens, Ethan Suplee, and many others. BLOW centers around the life of George Jung, from his childhood to his rise and fall as the biggest importer of cocaine to the United States. This film captures the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful. You're even there for his first joint. And I know you must be thinking that a lot of this is fictional, being as how so many films based on true stories change the facts, but surprise, this film is based on a novel, and director Ted Demme and the production team remained close to the actual George Jung, himself, behind bars at Otisville, during the making of this film. What makes this film so great is that throughout all of the wrong choices he makes, you are still able to see all of the good in George Jung. That is what makes this film sad, the fact that Jung has to take responsibility for his actions, and he gets what he gets. This film does a great job at capturing his love for his daughter, Kristina Sunshine Jung, played by a surprisingly talented child actress. It is great when he describes how he "finally realized what I was put on this Earth for..." His relationship with his daughter inspires a lot of the good in Jung. You can kind of tell that they were able to use Jung as a great resource, because it is narrated by Depp (playing Jung) and are really able to remain in touch with his thoughts on everything happening in the film. Jung also has a lot of sentiment towards the events in the movie, which contributes to the honesty. Anyway, watch this movie, and you'll see why I gave it five stars, and you'll also understand what I failed to do in the title of this review.