Back in ’85, an ass-load of that White Gold is hucked out of a plane down Appalachia way where it is partially consumed by a black bear.
As fate would have it, the intended recipient of that shipment gone very fuckin’ astray, one Syd White (Ray Liotta), is none to happy about his drug’s current whereabouts, so he entrusts some of his best men; his constantly crying, recently widowed son Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich) and the put-upon, though decidedly more competent Daveed (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) to bring that coke back right quick!
Of course that bear has been tearing anyone within paws reach a new asshole, so retrieving those bags o’ fun will be a bit dicey for our “heroes”… and when you add in a lovelorn Park Ranger (played by prolific character actress Margo Martindale to comedic perfection), a cache of stab-happy pop art punks, kids playing hooky, and an intrepid out-of-town flatfoot (Isiah Whitlock Jr.) that task goes from impossible to worse!
Coming from director Elizabeth Banks, Cocaine Bear is one hell of a ridiculous good time!
Based on an event that happened nearly nothing like the action in this film, sorta,… ol’ C.B. is filled to the brim with all manner of quirky characters (brought to life by an insanely talented and at times damn hilarious ensemble cast), grizzly gore, and a rampaging titular beast that always manages to ratchet up the suspense when it makes another blow fueled appearance.
Speaking of that ursine terror, it’s realized with some solid CG (although there are practical elements at play here as well) that isn’t afraid to add a bit of straight-up cartoon posturing (especially in that drippy-nosed, fuzzy face) to the mix, which fits perfectly in the off-kilter, sometimes surreal version of the mid-’80’s conjured forth by Banks and screenwriter Jimmy Warden.
As mentioned up yonder, the excellent cast is more than game for the nonsense at hand, and features familiar faces such as Keri Russell and the aforementioned Liotta, young Han Solo himself Ehrenreich, and Straight Outta Compton/Godzilla: King of the Monsters‘ Jackson Jr., but some of the most memorable performances come from Whitlock Jr. and Aaron Holliday, as the past his prime Det. Bob Springs and young punk ‘Stache respectively, who absolutely steal the film with every scene they appear in!
While laughs are definitely the order of the day with this one, there is still some choice red sauce offered up featuring ghoulish grisliness that displays some of that practical wizardry (at times enhanced by some CG magic) that will doubtless have gore hounds salivating into their creepy kibble!
Speaking of terrifying treats that will satisfy, our fine fiends at Universal Pictures Home Entertainment have included a few bumps of bonus content on this Blu-ray release to keep the fun going after the main event!
Special features present here include an alternate ending featuring the return of another of the film’s outrageous characters, a gag reel, a collection of deleted and extended scenes, a glimpse behind-the-scenes of the film’s production, and a featurette examining the film’s many kill sequences.
To put a beastly bow on it, Cocaine Bear is a study in the absurd brought to delirious heights and laid out for us to consume with wild abandon, and you shouldn’t resist to scratch that itch!
