The last time Johnny Depp dealt with drugs on screen was in the psychedelic cult movie "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas." In "Blow" Depp moves from drug abuser to drug dealer as he portrays the true life story of George Jung and his rise from lowly California marijuana dealer to the biggest importer of cocaine in the late 70's- early 80's. The movie also explores Jung’s relationship with notorious Colombian drug king pin Pablo Escobar and the Colombian drug cartel and also delves into the good life that drug money brings.

Growing up in working class New Jersey, Jung vows never to live such a life and moves to the West coast and quickly becomes involved in importing marijuana from Mexico. Always loving of his father, Jung has the working class ethic of his father and applies it to the drug trade making him quite a success; a sort of twisted pursuit of the American Dream.

Being based on a true story, "Blow" seems idealized where ultimately the movie becomes a film about the relationship between father and son and the failed relationship between the son and his daughter. Finally, the message seems not to be that drugs are bad but that too much drugs are bad; that Jung's working class ethic brought too much too fast. In the end though, it is indeed drugs that lead to Jung’s tragic downfall.

All in all, "Blow" is a great movie as it explores such a flamboyant period in modern history. The era of the late 1970's and early '80's was basically a big party and "Blow" is the story of the man responsible for keeping the party-goers happy. Quite addicting stuff.