Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
A boy named George Jung grows up in a struggling family in the 1950's. His mother nags at her husband as he is trying to make a living for the family. It is finally revealed that George's father cannot make a living and the family goes bankrupt. George does not want the same thing to happen to him, and his friend Tuna, in the 1960's, suggests that he deal marijuana. He is a big hit in California in the 1960's, yet he goes to jail, where he finds out about the wonders of cocaine. As a result, when released, he gets rich by bringing cocaine to America. However, he soon pays the price.
Blow is a solid crime biopic elevated primarily by Johnny Depp's committed, nuanced performance as George Jung, capturing both the charisma and self-destruction of the real figure. The rise-and-fall narrative is competently constructed but follows a well-worn template established by Goodfellas and Scarface, offering little structural or tonal innovation — hence the low Novelty score. Cinematography is professional and period-appropriate without being particularly distinctive. The ending, while emotionally resonant and tied to real events, feels somewhat abrupt and relies heavily on sentiment rather than a fully earned dramatic payoff.