|
|
|
Blow
**
Cinema
Releases - May 25, 2001
Rated on a 4-star scale. Certificate 18. 124
minutes. Directed by Ted Demme. Written by Nick Cassavetes, David McKenna;
based on the novel by Bruce Porter. Starring Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz,
Ray Liotta, Rachel Griffiths, Franka Potente, Paul
Reubens.
The superficial facts of George Jung's life sound
interesting -- the son of a broke Massachusetts fireman, he moved to California
in the 1960s, became a small-time pot dealer, and eventually ended up making
millions of dollars from cocaine. Jung was the dealer who brought the drug
into fashion, and it is estimated that during the 1970s, eighty-five percent
of the coke in America came though him one way or another.
"Blow" features Johnny Depp in the
role of Jung, colourful visuals and a kick-ass soundtrack, but still feels
dull and uninteresting. Past the flashy aesthetics and star faces, all we
have to hold our attention is a dopey loser with a lack of moral sense, or
any real views on anything. His speech is perfunctory throughout the movie,
until the last act, in which a sub-plot about his daughter is tacked on in
an attempt to give him some personality.
Ted Demme's film is shameless in its theft of
the style of "GoodFellas", in the way it uses voice-over, montage, steadicam
and even colour. It's an attempt to give the story the same kind of interest
and urgency, but the tale doesn't fit the mould, and the one thing "Blow"
forgets to steal is a fascinating lead character. Henry Hill was a
smooth-talking, actively amoral borderline psychotic; George Jung, in this
movie at least, simply has no personality. If you're thinking that maybe
the filmmakers were trying to portray him as vacant or cold, trust me, that
isn't the case; they just haven't brought him to life. Depp plays Jung with
a stiffness of voice and manner, and even his tan looks
artificial.
Another big flaw in "Blow" is the period re-creation;
it's thorough, all right, and the cinematographer has even used filters that
make the film look like it was shot in decades past. But there are times
when the production goes into overkill -- the 60s look like a beach party
movie, the 70s like a theme night, and in the 80s the characters are divided
into those wearing shell suits and those wearing garb from "Miami
Vice".
What we have here is a movie over-eager to look
the part. All it has to offer is great texture, ripped off from other movies.
If "Scarface" it the most extreme way to portray the life of a drug dealer,
"Blow" is the dreary antithesis.
COPYRIGHT©
2001 Ian Waldron-Mantgani
2001 Reviews
(alphabetical)
2001 Reviews (by star
rating)
Archive of all cinema reviews
(alphabetical)
Review Archive
Index
UK
Critic main page
|
|
![[Image]](http://www.ukcritic.com/posbanr2.gif)