Blow (Infinifilm Edition) |
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starring: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Franka Potente, Rachel Griffiths, Paul Reubens directed by: Ted Demme  List Price: $19.96 Amazon.com's Price: $8.99 You Save: $10.97 (55%)as of 09/02/2010 17:50 EDT Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Brand: NEW Line Home Video EAN: 0794043528422 Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC Item Dimensions: Label: New Line Home Video Languages: Manufacturer: New Line Home Video MPN: 794043528422 Number Of Discs: 1 Publisher: New Line Home Video Region Code: 1 Release Date: September 11, 2001 Running Time: 124 minutes Studio: New Line Home Video Theatrical Release Date: 2001 Related Items:
Editorial Review: Product Description: Dramatization of the life of George Jung, the man who established the cocaine market in the United States. Amazon.com: A briskly paced hybrid of Boogie Nights and Goodfellas, Blow chronicles the three-decade rise and fall of George Jung (Johnny Depp), a normal American kid who makes a personal vow against poverty, builds a marijuana empire in the '60s, multiplies his fortune with the Colombian Medellín cocaine cartel, and blows it all with a series of police busts culminating in one final, long-term jail sentence. "Your dad's a loser," says this absentee father to his estranged but beloved daughter, and he's right: Blow is the story of a nice guy who made wrong choices all his life, almost single-handedly created the American cocaine trade, and got exactly what he deserved. As directed by Ted Demme, the film is vibrantly entertaining, painstakingly authentic... and utterly aimless in terms of overall purpose. We can't sympathize with Jung's meteoric rise to wealth and the wild life, and Demme isn't suggesting that we should idolize a drug dealer. So what, exactly, is the point of Blow? Simply, it seems, to present Jung's story as the epitome of the coke-driven glory days, and to suggest, ever so subtly, that Jung isn't such a bad guy, after all. Anyone curious about his lifestyle will find this film amazing, and there's plenty of humor mixed with the constant threat of violence and paranoid anxiety. Demme has also populated the film with a fantastic supporting cast (although Penélope Cruz grows tiresome as Jung's hedonistic wife), and this is certainly a compelling look at the other side of Traffic. Still, one wishes that Blow had a more viable reason for being; like a wild party, it leaves you with a hangover and a vague feeling of regret. --Jeff Shannon Average Rating:
 Rating: - The dangerous world of blowI saw Blow (2001) in the theater when it came out and liked it. This movie stars the versatile Johnny Depp, who, in my opinion, is the best actor of our time. The guy can do anything. It also stars the stunning Penelope Cruz, Paul Reubens, and Ray Liotta, another versatile actor. The movie is based on a true story and is about the rise and fall of cocaine dealer George Jung (Johnny Depp). He at one time was the biggest importer of Colombian cocaine to the U.S. His partner in crime was the extremely dangerous Pablo Escobar, the famous Colombian drug lord. In order to achieve his remarkable feats of importing cocaine undetected, Jung had to have great courage, confidence, and determination, which he did. He seemed to have TOO much confidence. He paid the price when he got caught. He gets out of prison and just repeats the very things that landed him in prison to begin with. The guy's a total loser, one of those repeat offenders that doesn't learn his lessons. His cocaine dealing dramatically affected the U.S. in that the supply of cocaine on the streets of the U.S. skyrocketed during the 1970s and 1980s. Ray Liotta (Unlawful Entry, Field Of Dreams, Article 99) plays Jung's father. Penelope Cruz (Vanilla Sky, Nine) plays Jung's wife. Watching this movie will bring you back to the '70s and '80s. The clothing, cars, and overall society as it was back then are portrayed accurately. You'll also hear some rock songs from that era. The acting is very good, especially by Depp and Cruz. This DVD contains excellent special features, some of which are: Beyond the Movie features: George Jung interviews by director Ted Demme Lost Paradise: Cocaine's Impact on Colombia Addiction: Body and Soul Fact Track - Trivia Subtitle Track with direct access to additional features DVD-ROM features: Script-to-Screen access to the movie Link to the original website Exclusive access to online infinifilm features All-Access Pass features: Commentary with director Ted Demme and George Jung Deleted scenes with director commentary Character outtakes Ted Demme's production diary Nikka Costa music video - "Push and Pull" Teaser and theatrical trailer Cast and crew filmographies All in all, this is an interesting movie that I recommmend for a refreshing change of pace. Rating:  - Blu-ray audio sync problemThere are plenty of comments re: the merits of the movie itself, so this review is just about the sound on the blu-ray edition. It is at least a full second out of sync with the video, making it seem almost like a cheap kung fu movie that has been dubbed in English. And no, this isnt a problem with my equipment (PS3), which has successfully played over 100 other blu-rays without audio sync problems. Rating: - Good Movie & Awesome Price If Bought Used (Some less than a dollar)I really like this movie. I bought it on here a [Amazon.com] long, long time ago. The only thing you have to keep in mind is just because it is actually based on a true story & actual events does NOT mean it is an autobiography. In other words, there are of course going to be both added events & deleted ones as well. So, if you're looking for more of a biography &/or autobiography my advice is to purchase the book. However, this is a good movie & if you can just go into it either not caring that it's not a story told verbatim/word-for-word, or if you can separate the two, (book & movie) then, I really feel almost anyone will very much enjoy this movie. Besides, if you buy it on here you can purchase a used one for close to nothing, so if you end up to hating it then you at least you haven't lost much. I say go for it. Rating: - Great movie about a truly wicked personFabulously acted and completely worth the time and money. I loved this movie. It's a little like the book "Lolita" though - you have to pay attention to realize quite how awful Jung is and infer the countless lives he has ended and ruined because of his "WTF" attitude to making more money than he (literally) knows what to do with. All the actors are superb, and I was riveted throughout. I will now go an read the book that it was based on. Warning - spoilers follow about some of the history, though I don't think it will affect your enjoyment. Jung comes across as a very likeable guy, and according to the real George Jung in the commentary Depp nails his portrayal to an almost scary degree. What is also horrifying in the extras is how the director's genuine liking for the real George Jung seems to have completely removed his compassion for George's victims. A 25 minute long, subtitled, tame, and somewhat confused documentary on the Colombian drug story does little to redress the balance. On the commentary Jung manages to contradict and indict himself all in about 30 seconds when he actually blames the *parents* of the kids doing drugs, rather than his committed partnership with Escobar to "invent" cocaine for the US. Comparisons with "Scarface" are inevitable and though most of the story is different, the understanding that there really are people out there like this, that they are not *too* different from the rest of us, but they have something very important that is missing, broken, or deeply corrupted is very valuable. Rating: - drug smuggler as nice, glamourous, and a foolThis starts off really well, with a guy who kind of stumbles into drug dealing and then applies his great natural talents to it with innovative audacity. For the first half of the film, it portrays the whole hippy-to-coke era as a a kind of almost innocent frolic. Then, once some real baddies emerge, it get really rough in the second half, leading to the downfall of a more or less good natured guy who wants to get out and raise his daughter, but cannot. In other words, this is pretty cheaply romantic, almost making George into a feckless victim of the more ruthless players he is forced to deal with, to ever worsening betrayals. That is what hollywood did to the story of a criminal who helped bring Escobar's cocaine into the US at horrendous cost to the society. That being said, the film is fun to watch. You get a feel for the 60s-80s, music, fashion, and all. For the first hour or so, the acting is also extremely good, particularly with Depp as the young George, and tightly edited. Once the downward slide begins, however, the film's tone becomes rushed and sloppy. That makes the second hour boring in addition to dreary and depressing. OK, it does become a kind of morality tale, but it is rather heavy-handed to say the least. Finally, it is not an interesting portrayal of the drug industry. I would recommend renting this, as you may not want to watch it over and over. 
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