Since "Blow" was released just a few months after "Traffic," many think that this is just a rip-off of it. Wrong. "Blow" is nothing like "Traffic." If it's a rip-off of anything, it's a rip-off of "GoodFellas" and "Scarface." However, "Blow" isn't nearly as good as any of those movies. It's not bad, not bad at all, actually, but it doesn't belong in the same category as "Traffic," "GoodFellas" or "Scarface."
When
I say that "Blow" rips off of "GoodFellas,"
it has to do with the style, the way it was
shot. It rips off of "Scarface"
with the story, but unlike "Scarface,"
"Blow" is based on a true story.
It's basically the rise and fall of George
Jung (pronounced "young"), the man
who made cocaine so popular in the 80s by
simply bringing it in to the United States
and selling it. It's a little more complicated
than that, but I don't like to reveal too
much in my reviews anyway.
One of the problems I had with this movie
is that it tries really hard to make George
Jung a sympathetic character. Let's be honest
about it, he's a drug dealer. A very, very
big time drug dealer. We're supposed to sympathize
with him? How? Why? Though I
may seem very cynical, truth be told, "Blow"
is a very depressing movie. I shouldn't have
sympathized with George Jung, but I did. The
trap was right there in front of me, I saw
it, and I fell into it anyway. So sue me.
"Blow" stars one of my favorite
actors, Johnny Depp. This isn't a very glamorous
role for him, and towards the end of the movie,
Depp sports a very unflattering pot belly.
I like it when a pretty boy actor looks like
shit in a movie. It makes me respect them
more. Brad Pitt does it all the time, and
every now and then, so does Johnny Depp. He's
never looked worse than how he looks in this
movie. And what's up with those sideburns?
Anyway, Johnny Depp, once again, does a phenomenal
acting job here. He co-stars with Penélope
Cruz. I don't get it. In the posters and in
all the ads, she gets top billing along with
Johnny Depp, but while Depp is in just about
every scene in the movie, Penélope Cruz is
hardly in it. And what's everyone's obsession
with her anyway? Outta nowhere, Penélope Cruz
is all over magazine covers, she's in every
freakin' movie... I remember seeing her years
ago in a foreign film called "Belle Époque,"
and I didn't think she was that big of a deal,
nor do I think she's a very big deal now.
She was good in "Blow," but she
wasn't great. She's not ugly, but she isn't
gorgeous. As for acting talent, that remains
to be seen. For some reason, she's getting
the big Hollywood push right now, and I have
no idea why.
I really liked the supporting performances
in this movie. First, there's Franka Potente.
I first saw her in a fantastic German film
called "Run
Lola Run," a movie that you MUST
see. Yes, it's in German, but it's a foreign
film that even people who hate foreign films
are likely to enjoy. As it turns out, she
speaks perfect English, and she's very good
in this movie. She's not in the movie much,
but out of everyone in the movie, she's the
one I thought about most walking out of the
theater. A subtle, beautiful performance.
Then there's Ethan Suplee, and he's an actor
who always plays "the fat guy" in
every movie he's in. He was the guy staring
at the 3D stereogram in "Mallrats,"
and he was the awkward comic relief in "American
History X." I liked him a lot in
this movie. Just about every time he did something,
it was funny. Finally, there's Ray Liotta.
For the first time in a long time, he plays
a really nice, likable character.
There's a performance in "Blow"
that I'm not sure how I feel about. Paul Reubens
(A.K.A. Pee-Wee Herman) plays one of Johnny
Depp's business partners in the movie, and
I didn't buy it. I WANTED Reubens to shock
me with an amazing performance, but it just
came off as distracting.
"Blow" was directed by Ted Demme (nephew of "Silence of the Lambs" director, Jonathan Demme), and he's hit or miss. I liked the movie he did called "The Ref" (which starred Denis Leary, one of the producers of this movie), but I was disappointed by his Eddie Murphy/Martin Lawrence film, "Life." However, I'm a big fan of his movie "Beautiful Girls," though a lotta that had to do with the amazing performance by Natalie Portman. As for the writers, they were David McKenna and Nick Cassavetes. McKenna wrote the Sylvester Stallone flop "Get Carter," as well as "Body Shots," and "American History X." Cassavetes directed and helped write "Unhook the Stars," and directed "She's So Lovely," which was written by his late, great father, John Cassavetes.
Oh, the director makes a cameo towards the end of the movie. Few people know what he looks like, so few people will catch the cameo.
Even
though "Blow" is a very well-made movie, it has it's share of
flaws. In the end, I'm left wondering why I felt sorry for the guy, and
if he's worth my sympathy. Still, despite the flaws, "Blow" is
a good movie, and the effort of the cast and crew is appreciated. They worked
hard on this movie. Also, Johnny Depp kicks ass, even with that gut hanging
over his belt.
Scale of 1-10: 7