'BLOW' PROMISES MUCH, BUT IT DOESN'T FULLY DELIVER.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

In the closing credits to his new drug film ``Blow,'' director Ted Demme extends his personal thanks to both Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson for their ``contribution to the making of this movie.'' Given that ``Blow'' steals liberally from Anderson's ``Boogie Nights'' and Scorsese's ``GoodFellas,'' the acknowledgment seems appropriate. But it also points up the movie's shortcomings by comparison.

Demme (``The Ref,'' ``Life'') clearly views ``Blow'' as his shot at making a big-time epic on the level of a Scorsese movie, and you certainly can't fault him for his ambition. However, ``Blow'' plays as a flat, rather uninvolving cautionary tale that manages to take a pretty compelling true story and turn it into standard-issue television fare.

``Blow'' tells the story of George Jung, the man who claims to have brought in more than 85 percent of America's cocaine supply during the long hangover that was the 1970s. According to the filmmakers, Jung (played by Johnny Depp with the actor's typical commitment to truth and detail) isn't so much a bad guy as someone who happened to find his life's calling doing something the government considers illegal.

We see Jung's upbringing in 1950s Massachusetts as he watches his father (Ray Liotta, continuing his hot streak of good performances) break his back as a plumber so he can support the lifestyle expectations of his shrewish wife (Rachel Griffiths). Jung promises himself he won't end up like his dad, so he moves to Manhattan Beach, grooves on the surf, beach babes and pot, and discovers he has an innate talent for dealing drugs.

That gift leads him to bigger deals and bigger homes, and, after a stint in jail, a newfound realization that cocaine, not marijuana, is the drug of the future. But what goes up must come down. Unfortunately, Jung's spiral to the bottom isn't nearly as interesting as his rise to the top, and the movie's final act has the tedious feel of a bender that will never end.

That's not to say that ``Blow'' is a waste of time. Despite the deficiencies of the screenplay, Depp manages to make Jung a compelling character, and Liotta gives a layered turn as the sympathetic father. Paul Reubens rises from the dead as Jung's flamboyant drug connection.

But other talents are wasted, mostly the women, who, in the hands of writers David McKenna and Nick Cassavetes, function mostly as shrill stereotypes, existing primarily to emotionally castrate their male counterparts.

Demme tries to go for the heartstrings in the film's final scenes, but he can't make much of a convincing case for a sympathy vote. Having failed to involve the audience or establish an imaginative way to tell Jung's story, ``Blow's'' finale has about as much substance as Nancy Reagan's ``Just Say No'' drug campaign.

Rent something from Scorsese or Anderson instead.

``BLOW''

(Rated R: pervasive drug content and language, some violence and sexuality)

The stars: Johnny Depp, Ray Liotta, Rachel Griffiths, Paul Reubens.

Behind the scenes: Directed by Ted Demme. Screenplay by David McKenna and Nick Cassavetes.

Running time: Two hours.

Playing: Citywide.

Our rating: Two and one half stars

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Photo:

Franka Potente and Johnny Depp share a kiss in the drug-smuggling drama ``Blow.''