BLOW

US, 2001, 123 minutes, Colour.
Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Franca Portente, Rachel Griffiths, Paul Reubens, Jordi Molla, Cliff Curtis, Max Erlich, Miguel Sandoval, Ethan Suplee, Ray Liotta.
Directed by Ted Demme.

Many countries have legislation preventing convicted criminals from benefiting financially by selling their stories to the media. There is no law preventing them having their stories told in movies. Sometimes these are case studies warning audiences about the violence of the criminals or about psychopathic or sociopathic behaviour. Sometimes they seem to excuse the criminals. Blow, the story of American drug dealer, George Jung, falls somewhere in between.

Jung grew up poor, with an ambitious mother and a gentle father. He vowed never to be like them. In the late 60s, he stumbled on the drug culture on the California beaches, teamed up with some local dealers and, despite (as he says later in the film) his ambition outweighing his talent, he becomes so successful that he becomes one of the major contacts for drug lord, Paolo Escobar, and importing cocaine into the US in the 70s and 80s.

The drug culture is shown to have its hedonistic moments, its easy wealth, its easy come, easy go attitude towards life, its decadence and drugtaking destructiveness. Through it all, Johnny Depp as Jung, sometimes floating, sometimes betrayed, often drug-riddled, seems like the boy next door who simply took a wrong turn. Not that his mother, Rachel Griffiths in harridan manner, approves. His father, a gentle Ray Liotta, disapproves but loves his son.

Finally, Jung is set up and is now in prison until 2015. Blow is often a cautionary tale (though it shows the effects of addicts only in the dealers themselves), often a 'what if...?' fantasy of wealth and glamour, often a reminder of what has happened in the world's embracing the drug culture over the last forty years.

1.The title? Cocaine? The history of cocaine in the United States? Latin America, Colombia? The credits and the showing of the process of the making of cocaine?

2.The US in the 1960s and 1970s? Massachusetts families, homes? The contrast with California, the beach culture? The Colombian locations? Action in Florida? The range of American locations, giving authenticity to this story? The musical score?

3.The time span, the framework of George Jung in jail, his reminiscences? His voice-over and his commentary on what happened, his observations on himself, his character, strengths and weaknesses? Audience sympathy with George, antagonism towards him?

4.The American drug culture from the 1960s? The marijuana, the dealers? Local? The opening up of the cocaine trade, the crops, Paolo Escobar and his being the leader of the cocaine cartels? The smuggling into America, the distribution?

5.The scenes of George as a young boy, his relationship with his mother, her severity, her wanting money, her pressurising her husband, her walking out, her always returning, her husband welcoming her back? Fred, with the men at work his love for his son, a weaker man than his wife was strong? Not standing up to her? His devotion to George? George as a young boy, ordinary? His observing his parents, his declaration that he would never be poor?

6.George and his decision to go to California? The people, Barbara, his relationship with her? The clubs, the beaches, the dealers? The introduction to Derek Foreal? George and the collaboration with Derek, his friends, Kevin Dulli and his collaboration? The importing, the sources, Mexico and the marijuana coming from there? George, the deals, the interviews with the Mexicans? The Mexican production of marijuana, transport, their relying on George?

7.George, the arrest? In Chicago, in jail? Barbara, his love for her, their farewell, her death, the funeral?

8.Diego, his friendship with George, his personality, seemingly a weaker partner? Car thefts? The planning, the interest in cocaine? George and the release from prison, the custody of his parents? Their attitudes, his mother’s severity, his father’s lenience? George going to Colombia, the meeting with Pablo Escobar? The drug cartel in Colombia? Escobar and his decision to go with George? The each summing the other up? George and his success?

9.The 1970s, the importing of the cocaine into the United States? The wealth? The relying on Derek, the cocaine being distributed on the west coast? George and his secrecy, not telling Diego about Derek?

10.George and his encounter with Mirtha, the socials, the parties, her extroversion, the relationship, the good times, their having the daughter, Kristina? Her ambitions, her wanting money?

11.George, his naivety despite his good business sense, his telling Diego about the distribution on the west coast? Diego going behind his back, working with Derek, cutting out George? George and his not realising this?

12.George, the passing of the years, his trying to get off the drugs, his relationship with Mirtha, their home life? Her garish behaviour, the beginnings of alienation?

13.The set-up, George arrested, Derek setting him up? George in prison, again the reliance on his parents, his mother excluding him, telephoning the police? His father and his wanting to help his son?

14.George in prison, the experience? His reflection on his life? The possibility of going straight? Mirtha’s alienation, her visit to him to declare that they would be divorced? His release, coming out, his early forties, his not having seen his daughter, going to the school, talking with her, walking her to and fro? His discussions with Mirtha, Mirtha allowing him to see their daughter, his plan to go to California, his daughter’s dream to go there, the plan, setting up the date, her going to meet him, sitting and waiting, his being in prison?

15.The set-up with Julie, the drug deal, the waiters being FBI and Drug Enforcement, his being arrested? His not being able to see his daughter? His long-term sentence? George in jail, working in the garden, imagining his daughter grown up and coming to see him, his bewilderment?

16.The portrait of a successful drug dealer? The high life? Prosperity? Lack of moral grounding? Prison sentences, his being beyond the law? His relationship with his parents, his severe mother, his gentle father and his father’s illness? His love for Barbara, the contrast with Mirtha and his being abandoned? The sympathy for him? The point being made, ironically, that no victims of drug addiction were seen, the focus staying on George and his colleagues?