"'Blow' Hard"
by Scott Mantz

"Blow"
Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz
Directed by Ted Demme

High times! Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz share a moment in "Blow"

It is a cold hard fact that the best opportunities in life are the ones that we create, not the ones that fall in our lap. In that sense, George Jung is one person who really knew how to create an opportunity. When it came to the American Dream, he practically wrote his own contract, but in doing so, he forgot to read the fine print. As a result, he found out the hard way that you can only take advantage of the system for so long before it catches up with you (and when it does, look out!).

As we all know, timing is everything, and since the mesmerizing drug war epic "Traffic" just won four out of the five Academy Awards for which it was nominated, the timing for "Blow" couldn't be any better. But make no mistake. Where "Traffic" was a film about drugs, "Blow" is a film about a drug dealer. No, scratch that. George Jung was no ordinary drug dealer. He was the revolutionary entrepreneur who worked with a reputed Colombian drug kingpin to channel cocaine into the United States just in time for the excess that defined the disco era.

Like the subject matter on which it's based, "Blow" is the cinematic equivalent of a heart-pounding adrenaline rush. While it's not a perfect movie by any means, it's still an incredibly riveting, fast-paced, and--dare I say it--addictive film that features a spectacular performance from Johnny Depp. It's just too bad that the supporting players are not fleshed out enough to get under your skin and round out the true tragedy of a man who had everything--and then lost it all.

As a kid, George Jung (Johnny Depp) grew up in a dysfunctional New England household. Not one to simply deal with the cards he was given, he created his own deck and moved out to California. It didn't take long for him to strike it rich by dealing dope to the potheads that lined the beaches of LA, but eventually the law caught up with him for what would be the first of many times. In a twist of fate, it was in jail that Jung was introduced to the world of cocaine trafficking. Upon his release, he introduced the high-powered drug to a country that was more than ready to embrace it. The future was looking bright, but Jung was in for a rude awakening when he discovered that you can't have your coke and eat it too.

It's quite obvious that "Blow" is cut from the same powder as "Goodfellas" and "Boogie Nights" (with a little bit of "Scarface" thrown in for good measure). As with those films, the first half is like a fast-paced thrill ride that focuses on the good life, while the last half focuses on the abrupt reality and concurrent downfall. After having it all (and then some), Jung lost his money, his wife, his friends (if you could call them that), and most importantly, his baby girl.

Obviously, it's Jung's story, and the movie focuses on every nuance that led to his rise and fall, but as a result, the rest of the players get the short end of the stick. People come and go (very quickly, I might add) without any firm introduction or graceful exit, and as a result, the film is not as engrossing as it could have been. The secondary characters are never fully fleshed out, and instead of being just as real as Jung, they feel more like window dressing to help tell his side of the story.

As he is in just about everything he does (except for maybe "The Astronaut's Wife"), Johnny Depp is simply electrifying. What makes his performance so incredible is that he makes Jung out to be a completely sympathetic and honorable character.

But is that a good thing? Perhaps not. After all, we are talking about a person who just may have been ground zero for cocaine's entry into the United States. Think of all the people who died as a direct--and as an indirect--result of his actions. To put it another way, if "Traffic" had taken place in the 70's, then George Jung is the one person who Michael Douglas' drug czar would have been looking for all along. Depp's portrayal of Jung as a hero may be engaging on a cinematic level, but it's somewhat offensive on a factual level--especially in light of "Traffic's" tremendous critical acclaim and social goodwill.

There's no doubt that Jung's story is tragic, and as is usually the case, the roots for his downfall were planted by his wacked-out parents, played here by Ray Liotta and Rachel Griffiths. Liotta's presence may be a nod to the similar structure of "Goodfellas" (in which he also starred), but he gives a surprisingly sensitive performance as a man who wanted nothing but the best for his son. Griffiths is commanding as Depp's emotionally unstable mother, but her performance goes too far over the top to be believed.

As for the supporting players, they certainly look good, even if there isn't a whole lot for them to work with. Franka Potente (who played the red-headed heroine in the foreign smash "Run Lola Run") shows a lot of potential to be a stateside presence, but Penelope Cruz is wasted as Jung's high-maintenance wife. She doesn't show up until more than halfway through the movie, and even then, her high-strung performance is more embarrassing than electrifying. On the other hand, Paul Ruebens is a revelation as Jung's first partner in crime. He steals every scene he's in, and he finally leaves his Pee Wee Herman alter-ego in the dust once and for all.

As far as opportunities are concerned, Ted Demme finally made the most of his. Despite his impressive work on films like "Life" and "Beautiful Girls," "Blow" feels like the kind of movie he's been wanting to make all along. His appreciation of Martin Scorsese (and Paul Thomas Anderson) is obvious, but don't hold that against him. Despite its flaws, "Blow" is an addictive film that serves as a reminder that if you're going to abuse the American Dream, you better be prepared to pay the price.

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