But when he discovered the enormity of the American appetite for forbidden pleasures, he escalated his business, turning to cocaine when he discovered it was the next big thing. Suddenly, poor George can't find enough boxes to stash his cash in. In a couple of hilarious scenes, Demme shows George and crew weighing boxes of bills rather than counting them. But the American Dream turns into a nightmare not so much because drugs are illegal but because there seems to be no honor among cocaine traffickers. Even with seemingly endless wealth rolling in, greed takes its toll.
Some people become patsies and fall guys.
Others become expendable. And George becomes the poster boy for it all. Demme gives the film a gleeful irreverence that's a bit shocking because of the violence, but that fits with the filmmaker's interests. Demme revels in the fringe elements that push propriety without mercy. Depp makes Jung a guy who seems to stumble into everything, from success to folly to tragedy.