This
film was inspired by true events that happened in the late 1990’s. A group of Hasidic Jews from an
Orthodox Brooklyn community was recruited as mules to smuggle in ecstasy from
Europe into the United States. If
you were good in this career, you went up in levels and then recruited others
as mules. The mules were told they
were transporting medicine for an Israeli dealer and his girlfriend. Sam Gold is in his 20’s, he rose up in
the ranks of this group to become a bookkeeper and recruiter of other
mules. He found the different
worlds of Manhattan and Amsterdam exciting and he liked the money. His father is not happy with his life
choices and Sam begins to struggle with his double life.
The
Hasidic Jews set themselves apart by their traditional religious costume of
dressing in black, wearing distinctive hats and they have the side curls or
ringlets called peyot. Usually
these mules were not stopped for custom searches because they seemed ‘outside’
of this kind of behavior. Things started to change when dogs were brought in to check suitcases. Sam
tries to maintain his real self by watching, keeping on his toes, using his
skills and converse but keep separate.
I thought this film was interesting with the insights both in Jewish culture
and the ecstasy world. 3 ½* (I
liked this movie)
89
min, Bio directed by Kevin Asch with Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha, Ari
Graynor, Danny A. Abeckaser, Mark Ivanir, Elizabeth Marvel, Jason Fuchs, Q-Tip,
Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Bern Cohen, Stella Keitel, David Vadim.
Note: Imdb 5.9 out of 10, 51% critic 33%
audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2*, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 28
reviews.
Special
Note: Piper Kerman, the author of
Orange is the New Black was sent to fifteen months in federal prison for
delivering a suitcase of drug money ten years prior to her conviction. Piper also thought she could remain
separate and escape penalty?
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