Ray Lottia’s last film is mindless fun
BY: JACOB POLITTE
Managing Editor
“Cocaine Bear” is quite the film for any adult ready to indulge in violent, mindless fun. Based loosely on a true story, it features a stellar, notably award-winning cast doing their best 80’s stereotypes, and features one of the final performances of actor Ray Lottia, who plays what amounts to be the most antagonistic role in the film as the drug trafficker Syd.
Centered in the year 1985 primarily within the Chattahoochee–Oconee National Forest in Georgia but featuring plenty of scenes set in St. Louis, drug smuggler Andrew C. Thornton II (Matthew Rhys) drops a shipment of cocaine from his plane, but accidentally knocks himself out before falling to his death in a front yard in Knoxville, Tennessee. Most of the cocaine landed in the forest in Georgia, where a black mother bear finds a stash and quickly becomes addicted. And, uncharacteristically aggressive.
A unique cast of characters are also in the forest, and many of them come in direct contact with the crazed, violent bear. This includes two children, who are among the bears initial victims. Both children survive (although they do try the cocaine), but many others don’t. In particular, the park ranger played by actress Margo Martindale has a particularly brutal final few hours, as do the three hoodlum teenagers harassing everyone.
“Cocaine Bear” is one of the more aggressively violent films of the last year or two, and the kills absolutely make the movie. There’s a lot of intriguing stories there, but they often aren’t explored very much by the end of the film. It’s definitely not a movie for those with a weak stomach, and the movie is largely not afraid to get as disgusting as possible. It’s not afraid to be as shockingly violent as it is with such a respected, A-List cast on tap. This cast includes Keri Russell, who is featured prominently throughout the film (an on-screen reunion with her “Americans” co-star Rhys would have been cool, but wouldn’t have made much sense), as well as Isiah Whitlock Jr., who actually has one of the more depressing parts of the film to contend with, but isn’t afraid to be wholesomely funny.
It feels strange to view a drug-fueled bloody rampage as funny, but it largely is. Almost none of that has to do with the bear, and instead the acting delivery from the cast carries the film’s humor and even some of its drama. In particular, O’Shea Jackson Jr.’s Daveed is probably the most well-rounded and fully realized character of the bunch, and Jackson plays both sides of the coin extremely well.
Arguably, however, the bear isn’t portrayed as any sort of villain throughout. People do crazy things after doing drugs, and animals are no different. Even when at her most violent, the bear is often hilarious in its own way, even falling asleep from exhaustion on top of Syd’s adult son Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich) at one point. The bear is violent, but she’s somehow still a sympathetic figure. Not to mention, the GCI Bear is incredible to see.
Without further spoiling the film, “Cocaine Bear” is worth a watch, but viewers should be aware that they’ll see a molotov cocktail of brutality mixed with genuinely funny humor. If you’re a kid, don’t watch this film, and if you have a weak stomach or hate violence, please do not watch this film. But if you’re neither of those, buckle up for a 90-minute rollercoaster ride.
