'Cocaine Bear' a highly entertaining riot

The Cocaine Bear, also known as Pablo Eskobear, was a 175-pound American black bear that fatally overdosed on the drug in 1985. The drugs had been dropped by smugglers in the Tennessee wilderness. The bear was found dead in northern Georgia and was stuffed and displayed at a Kentucky mall.

Now, this has inspired a weird but highly entertaining dark comedy simply titled ‘Cocaine Bear.’

Inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner’s plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate some of it, the wild dark comedy finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a forest where an apex predator has ingested a staggering amount of cocaine and gone on a rampage.

‘Cocaine Bear’ can definitely be highly entertaining and the story that the filmmakers came up with that is very loosely inspired by the 1985 events is filled with some fun and bloody moments.

This movie does give a “B” movie vibe and it really works. There are certain parts of the movie that can be a little serious, but not too much. The rest of the movie can be really humorous and at times a little silly. Even some of the silly portions of the movie still work. There are a few moments that feature a fixer and a kingpin’s son (Daveed and Eddie) that bicker at one another and the bickering can be hilarious at times. There are also some quips from the cop character (Bob) that also can give you a little chuckle due to the actor’s dead-pan performance during a few parts.

Sure, the CGI that was used for the bear isn’t really the greatest. Yet, it definitely won’t distract you from the movie at all. There are a few subplots going on and the characters that are featured all have their own little stand-out moments. ‘Cocaine Bear’ also gives us one final theatrical performance from the late Ray Liotta, who passed away last year.

There is definitely one sequence that comes to mind that really stands out and that’s the ambulance scene. This sequence, which shows a couple EMTs trying to get a park ranger away from the latest bear rampage, has been used extensively in the movie’s marketing. This entire sequence has a bit of everything — thrills, laughs, a tad (more than a tad to be honest) amount of gore and a lot of bear action. You have to see this movie for yourself to see how this scene really stands out.

So, if you haven’t had the chance to watch ‘Cocaine Bear’ yet, go and give it a watch. Granted, the story can be a little flawed here and there, but it will surely keep you entertained for the whole 95-minute running time.

The cast: Keri Russell as Sari; Alden Ehrenrich as Eddie; O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Daveed; Isaiah Whitlock Jr. as Bob; Brooklyn Prince as DeeDee; Christian Convery as Henry; Margo Martindale as Ranger Liz; Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Peter; Kristofer Hivju as Olaf; Hannah Hoekstra as Elsa and the late Ray Liotta as Syd.

‘Cocaine Bear’ is written by Jimmy Warden (Netflix’s The Babysitter: Killer Queen) and produced and directed by Elizabeth Banks, who last directed ‘Charlie’s Angels’ and ‘Pitch Perfect 2’).

‘Cocaine Bear’ is rated R for bloody violence and gore, drug content and language throughout and has a running time of 95 minutes.

Make sure to keep on checking my Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews page on Facebook where you can find what I will be checking out next for reviews! Up next — ‘Creed III’ and ‘Scream VI.’