Movie Review: Cocaine Bear

 WARNING: This review contains violence and drugs contents. Readers description is advised.

Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and welcome back to my Movie Review.

In the 80s, we’ve dealt with plenty of kinds of crimes out there in US and even around the world like robbers, rapists and even murderers based on some rising numbers of crime rates. But in the mid 80s, a series of drugs has been risen, its not just a heroine or even steroids, but most commonly is cocaine. Since the drug dealers and drug traders are became a big deal (and probably to this day), the laws was upon us to intervene and arresting them that they’re dangerous in the society. As a result, this gave us plenty of anti-drugs PSAs not just the laws, but in medias as well like commercials, movies, shows and heck even video games like “NARC”. Even though we always gotta protect younger people to stay away from the drugs, but probably so does… Wilderness with something we’ve never expected…

“Cocaine Bear” is a 2023 horror comedy film that was produced and directed by Elizabeth Banks, co-produced by Phil Lord, Chris Miller (yup, its them again), Max Handelman, Brian Duffield and Aditya Sood.

When you heard a movie literally called “Cocaine Bear” this is like its gonna be one of those ridiculously cheap film with some of our familiar names like Elizabeth Banks and even the late Ray Liotta. But when I saw the tagline that its “Inspired from true events”, I thought “BullS***! This isn’t ever happened in real life man!”.

But when I dig deep behind this movie, I was wrong, it was actually based weird true story in 1985, where a former policeman went into drug trafficking to dropping drops all the way down while on his plane by himself, before jumped off and crashed landed to death after failing to open a parachute. Not only the drug smuggler found dead, but so does a black bear found dead that, get this, opened and consuming bags of cocaine before it died from massive overdose. Jeez, I’ve never heard something about this actual story, my friends…

So, with all that said, do we think its a good idea to throw cocaine away to wilderness, or is it too weird to see a black bear out of its mind from bunch of nose-candies?

Well, lets find out.

The Story

While it does follow up from the actual events, but the rest is complete creative freedom that its like Jaws, but if the bear is obsessed of cokes.

The movie begins in 1985 with, as I said before, a policeman turned drug smuggler named Andrew Thornton who’s on a plane and throwing bags of cocaine all the way down, right before got knocked by his plane’s doorframe and crash landed on the ground in Knoxville, Tennessee. Upon discovered a dead body of Andrew, detective Bob believes Andrew is working with St-Louis drug lord named Syd White, which he gotta find him whether or not if he’s responsible. Speaking of the latter, Syd demands his fixer Daveed to find the bags of nose-candies in order to recover with Daveed’s depressed partner Eddie to find those bags, while also and briefly dealing with Duchamps that after Daveed fought the group (minus one member Ponytail), he demands one member Stache for the whereabouts of one bag. Meahwhile, we have Sari, who’s not very pleased that the kids Dee Dee (Sari’s daughter) and her friend Henry are both skipping school for walking on the woods in Georgia. But little did they know is when they’re chased and attacked by a black bear that, you guessed it, consuming cokes on its way in. Its up to Sari to save the kids to get heck out, while others like Daveed, Eddie and Stache to finding cokes to recovering, and few others that they have to survive.

Like I said, this is one weird story tell of this movie that we have a multi plots of one to saving kids in the forest, a the group of recovering drugs and others is to survive in the forest in the early “who’s done it?” plot element, but ended up predictable that it wasn’t some characters’ fault, but rather the bear that it likes to consuming bags of cocaine, which it plays like a typical humans vs menacing animals, but in a silliest way with drugs. Though one plot hole that its rather wrong is the relation of Syd White and Andrew Thornton for the drugs recovery, which I don’t think its that true since Andrew was gone in Columbia to smuggling drugs to USA, despite the fact that Andrew was actually came from Kentucky than St-Louis, I know its a true story to going full on creative freedom, but I wasn’t so sure of its inclusion of plot-hole. As for the humor they put, well, its rather low brow, sure I had a small chuckle from some moments, but everything else that they tried, they just failed to make the jokes.. Well, being jokes, but these jokes just didn’t work that I barely laughing out loud, but rather got a bit bored to find some moments questionable.

While its a typical people vs menacing nature, but the writing is rather subpar that it was alright to cringe with these poor jokes attempts.

The Presentation

Even though the writing isn’t the best, but with a cheap budget of between $30 - $35 million, it looks fairly descent.

The location is nicely fit for follow up from actual event to the journey in forest of Northeast Georgia, much like any horror films out there that it takes place in forests. But to be fair, sometimes when its taking of break of chases and killing they did filmed a beautiful view, which I will admit that, despite of unnecessary shot, at least its beautiful. But instead, it was actually filmed in County Wicklow in Ireland, I get they’re trying to filmed to be like Georgia, but some location (I think) didn’t match up due to filming in Ireland for possibly saving the budget.

Speaking of the budget, I think the focus of the budget is the bear itself, we can see the coked up bear is done with two things, one is the stunt performance with a performer Allan Henry wearing a custom-made with meter long extension limbs for pulling his practical stunt, which may sounds fascinating, but the downside is they don’t made an animatronic for its facial, instead, in the second one is the use CG with Weta FX, one of the biggest visual effect group they gave us many memorable movies. I gotta say, thanks to collaboration with Weta, the bear’s CG animation is actually pretty good, sure its no regular bear (with the title suggested) to make it not only menacingly vicious, but also Bat-S(bleep) insane from the amount of cokes that leads to some awkward moments with the bear, like when the bear fell flat on Eddie in passed out (Which I will admit, despite the jokes aren’t good, at least this one is funny).

Of course, despite of comedy, it also has horror element that, aside to some jumpscares, it also has a good’ol fashion body counts, and they’re quite bloody and kinda brutal, though all we see is either gnarly gash open from the bear or even typical eating and rip n’ tear fleshes by coked up bear. Though we couldn’t see the killing, but they’re quite brutal, though most of blood and gore are obviously done with CG. But sometimes, it wasn’t just a bear body counts, there’s one time some moron just killed one innocent hiker via a gunshot to the head (What a F***ing moron!). As for the body counts (consider a SPOILER WARNING), to my knowledge, only 10 people were killed, two from gunshots, one smuggler jumped off, two from fatal car crash and five bear attacks. There’s also two Duchamps got beaten up from Daveed, but I wasn’t so sure either they’re dead or knocked unconscious, so I won’t count them.

Im not expert to counting dead bodies, but its my best to count them for the first time before my favorite Youtube channel Dead Meat will make their own Kill Count of this movie, if they make their counts if the numbers are the same or different, only time will tell as im writing this.

While it may look cheap, but the presentation are pretty good for say the least and the killings are either pretty cool, brutal or sometimes, moronic.

The Characters

Even though its not a slasher movie, but it didn’t have a typical slasher movie, but more different subject from double plots in one event.

Lets start off recovering drug parts, starting with Daveed (played by O’Shea Jackson jr), the fixer of drug lord’s member for his goal to recover drugs in peace with no time to messing around persona. Despite got himself at risk, I find him a memorable character, sure he’s taking the recover seriously, but he acts almost like a boss for the whereabouts as well having himself a fist fight against Duchamps. I personally think that he’s the main character in this movie for drug recovery plan for his boss, since Jackson did a nice work of his role.

Next we have Eddie (played by Alden Ehrenreich), Daveed’s partner who has a deep depression for losing his beloved wife that he abandoned his son, while pretty much working with drug lord. I get he’s meant to have a man with a heart since he lost his family life due to being stuck with drug lord, but I find him alright, like he started being into “Friend Zone” before keeping suspect in peace than a threat. Even though he’s being a “Friend Zone” character, but il give a credit to Alden for a fairly descent role.

And we have Syd White (played by the late Ray Liotta), the main drug lord where he demands for drugs recovery to hiding them in, I think in his home city St Louis. While he’s fascinating drug lord, since im easily assuming he’s the human villain, but not gonna spoil more details, but he’s only shown in the beginning and at third act. Its a shame for that, cause its quite surprising to have Ray Liotta in this movie. But… Its sadly to say that he’s no longer with us anymore… Yeah, he died from respiratory problem, heart attack and others from autopsy, even though im no familiar with him, but he’ll always be a legendary actor from the late 80s, 90s to early millennium. Rest in Peace, Ray, you were amazing…

As for the saving kids part, we have Sari (played by Keri Russell, aka Zori Bliss from Star Wars in sequel trilogy), a nurse mother who’s not only protective mother, but also always annoyed from her daughter Dee Dee (played by pre-teen Brooklynn Prince) and her friend Henry (played by Christian Convery), while two kids are the skippers that they wanna have fun in the first like tree scratch with letters or even painting. In other words, these two kids are basically troublemakers that they love to going out whatever they want than going to school (typical bratty kids), leaving mother getting annoyed to going after them. I find them not bad, but I feel like its out of place for a movie about a bear being cooked up. Yes I know its meant to have a plot element of finding bags with coke, I mean it will be crazy to see a kid getting killed by a bear much like in Jaws, but SPOILER ALERT, they don’t wanna let us see kids getting killed by a drugged up bear. While il give a credit for them doing a nice acting, but the way they’re written are out of place in my own take.

As for the rest of the casts, they’re there for plot following to adding a list of body counts, there’s Bob (played by Isiah Whitlock jr, aka Commander Burnside from Pixar’s Lightyear) a police detective to hunting down Syd White, along with protecting cute dog, Liz (played by Margo Martindale) who’s a forest ranger who’s called from Sari to find the kids (or not), Stache (played by Aaron Holliday) who’s a member of Duchamps for messing around in a forest to being forced to find the drugs for Daveed and Eddie, Peter (played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson) a wildfire activist and possibly friend with Liz, Olaf and Elsa (played by Kristofer Hivju and Hannah Hoekstra) they’re the hikers at the forest with their potential deaths, along with their names possibly borrowed from Frozen for… I don’t know, jokes? Anyway, Reba (played by Ayoola Smart) who’s Bob’s partner and Andrew Thornton (played by Matthew Rhys) who’s a drug smuggler at the beginning.

But one character that I like to pointing out is Tom, one of paramedics is played by none other than TikTok personality Scott Seiss, if the name may not sounds familiar, he’s the same guy as “Angry Retail Guy” where he rants about the situation with customers based on their excuses. I gotta say, he’s both funny, entertaining and of course, relatable when we dealt with bad customers as jobbers (Yeah, I’ve been there when I used to be part timer in either dollar store or grocery shop before currently working as electrician in thrift store). Even though he’s there for cameo, but its pretty surprising to see him in a movie, but then again, he likes to making TikTok contents.

While the actors are having fun, the characters are a double edge sword that have a purpose for the plot, but some are out of place without messing around the plot, or purposely appeared to be killed from a bear or such.

And now for my final opinion of this film

Overall, Cocaine Bear is… Pretty something and kinda unique film, does it good? Not really. Is it bad, not really either, but not the worst of all.

While I appreciate to mentioning a real life event in the mid-80s, but it went into creative liberty of people vs menacing nature, though the writing is ok, some characters are good and memorable one, the presentation looks nice, the acting is good too and the killing are quite beastly and bloody.

Even though its meant to have a message of recovering drugs, but its just that while the writing is ok, but it could be bust with two plots that either follow up or out of context, some jokes bellow that I did have a small chuckle and for another one in a half our long movie, its kinda short that we may not have a development, especially the human villain’s lackluster appearance.

This is yet another film that you wanna see it once, whether you like it or not, even though the concept of bear going rampage while on drugs is pretty silly and kinda dumb, even though in real life, taking over-dosage could make you… Yeah, you’ll die. So, don’t do drugs for watching this movie.

For my rating, im gonna give this one a 5/10.

So this ends of my movie review, if you guys have your opinion or any suggestions, let me know at comment bellow and support me on KO-FI.com/blackevil.

Thanks for reading, and im Anthony, signing out.