Blow (2001)

The story of how George Jung, along with the Medellín Cartel headed by Pablo Escobar, established the American cocaine market in the 1970s in the United States.

Director:

Ted Demme

Writers:

Bruce Porter (book), David McKenna (screenplay)

Stars:

Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Franka Potente

3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Johnny Depp	...	George Jung
Penélope Cruz	...	Mirtha Jung (as Penelope Cruz)
Franka Potente	...	Barbara Buckley
Rachel Griffiths	...	Ermine Jung
Paul Reubens	...	Derek Foreal
Jordi Mollà	...	Diego Delgado (as Jordi Molla)
Cliff Curtis	...	Pablo Escobar
Miguel Sandoval	...	Augusto Oliveras
Ethan Suplee	...	Tuna
Ray Liotta	...	Fred Jung
Kevin Gage	...	Leon Minghella
Max Perlich	...	Kevin Dulli
Jesse James	...	Young George
Miguel Pérez	...	Alessandro (as Miguel Perez)
Dan Ferro	...	Cesar Toban

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

gay hairdresser | smashing a telephone | drug abuse | nosebleed | police officer | 

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Taglines:

Based on a True Story.

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive drug content and language, some violence and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

New Line Cinema

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 April 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blow: One Man's Life

Filming Locations:

Spring Street Towers - 650 S. Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$53,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,443,461, 8 April 2001, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$52,990,775

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$83,282,296

Company Credits

Production Co:

Apostle,Avery Pix,New Line Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rachel Griffiths plays Ermine Jung (George's mother). The actress is five years younger than Johnny Depp (George).

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Goofs

In the series of freeze-frame photos following the initial meeting with Pablo Escobar, while the song "Blinded By The Light" plays, at least two bottles of flavor-infused vodkas are shown behind a bar (Absolut Citron and a Stoli Berry flavor). These vodkas were not introduced until the late 1980s.

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Quotes

[first lines]
George: That's a nice boy. Go get 'em, Dulli.

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Crazy Credits

A photograph of the real George Jung appears at the end of the film, as the credits start to roll.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Crazy Cocaine Movie Scenes (2016)

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Soundtracks

Black Betty
Written by Leadbelly (as Huddie Ledbetter)
Performed by Ram Jam
Courtesy of Epic Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
Published by Folkways Music Publishers Inc. (BMI)

User Reviews

Better than expected

Based on a true story of how the American cocaine market was founded, this is a lot more funky than I had expected. A thumpingly good soundtrack right from the start and Johnny Depp cruising in to be a convincingly laid-back big-shot - almost like a graduate from Boogie Nights. Penelope Cruz manages to be blisteringly erotic in a few well-crafted scenes and without removing a stitch of clothing. Later, instead of following the usual pattern of despair in the second half where most drug movies home in on drug dependency, Blow refreshingly focuses on the emotional losses suffered by the characters. A film that just about manages to be more than the sum of its parts, it would have made a nice sort of pre-quel to Traffic, but it stands alone in fine form. And it's moving rather than depressing.