Top 10 Cocaine Scenes in Movies
It can break a person's life, but make a movie scene. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Cocaine Scenes in Movies. For this list, we've chosen movie moments where the depiction of cocaine use is cinematically and stylistically notable.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1-MOvs6Nec
Top 10 Cocaine Scenes in Movies
It can break a person’s life, but make a movie scene. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Cocaine Scenes in Movies. For this list, we’ve chosen movie moments where the depiction of cocaine use is cinematically and stylistically notable. However, we’ve excluded scenes that were cut from a movie’s theatrical release, such as in “Boogie Nights.”
#10: “Would You Like Some Cocaine?” “In Bruges” (2008)
“In Bruges” follows two hitmen on leave in the titular Belgian town. And, while Bruges may seem like a fairytale setting, it has its dark corners. Ray isn’t taken with Bruges and makes that fact known. But, he does become fascinated by an actor named Jimmy. Y’see, Jimmy’s a little person – despite what Ray prefers calling him. One time when the two cross paths, Ray joins Jimmy and his prostitute in a coke-filled hotel room. This sets the scene for a hilariously twisted conversation between Ray, Jimmy, and later Ken, as the drug-addled dwarf reveals his idea of a race war – to the bewilderment of the hitmen. A perfectly placed karate chop ends what can only be called a trip of a scene, in one darkly comedic masterpiece.
#9: “It’s Just Cocaine, It’s Not Going to Kill You” “Foxcatcher” (2014)
Bennett Miller’s ominous directing, coupled with stellar performances from the likes of Steve Carell as John du Pont make “Foxcatcher” one of the most disturbing non-horrormovies ever produced. Du Pont manufactures a bizarre relationship with his wrestling pupil/mental prisoner Mark Schultz, and the weirdness escalates when du Pont offers Schultz coke in his helicopter. Du Pont snorts a line and pressures Mark into doing the same, a small demonstration of Du Pont and Schultz’s relationship of thinly veiled insanity, exploitation and homoeroticism. The scene is capped off by Schultz reading a speech that is about and written by du Pont. The atmosphere is effectively chilling.
#8: “I Can’t Feel My Face” “Blow” (2001)
Telling the true story of kingpin George Jung, “Blow” is two hours of coke-fueled entertainment, but the purity test sequence stands out as the focal point. After arriving inHollywood with a shipment of pure Colombian cocaine, George, along with his business partner, elects to get the product’s quality assessed. When the coke far surpasses anyone’s expectations, everyone—including the commodity’s examiner—takes a celebratory hit of the Holy Grail. Though there’s pressure to sell the hefty amount of cocaine, it doesn’t look like these guys are sweating it. We can’t feel our faces either, but only from laughing.
#7: “It’s Okay, I’m Fine” “Half Nelson” (2006)
The inspiring teacher movie has been done time and time again, but “Half Nelson” put a deliberate twist on this tired concept, opting not only to have the student help the teacher, but for them to help each other. After a basketball game, Dan Dunne, a history teacher and basketball coach, finds an interaction with his ex too much to take, and escapes to the locker room to shoot up. His student – the tough, but troubled Drey – finds him and sees the truth of his addiction. The gap between student and teacher is bridged in this one scene, and their eventual friendship proves lifesaving in more ways than one.
#6: “That’s About $2,000 an Ounce” “Annie Hall” (1977)
What happens when you mix cocaine and Woody Allen? A hilarious disaster! “Annie Hall” showcases Allen’s charm, with his level of zany turned up to eleven as the neurotic Alvy Singer. When Alvy and Annie’s friends offer them cocaine at a dinner party, Alvy is hesitant at first. Through Annie’s enthusiasm, he warms to the idea, and begins to ask some questions about the esteemed product. But, unfortunately, right after the extravagant cost is divulged, Alvy chooses the worst moment to get a tickle in his nose. He sneezes into the case, spraying the powder everywhere. That’s right: two thousand dollars an ounce, literally plastered on their faces.
#5: “That’s Some Quality Shit” “Boogie Nights” (1997)
Well on their way to a downward spiral, Dirk Diggler and his friends contrive a plan to ease their financial strife. Disguising baking soda as cocaine and trying to fool a drug dealer, they arrive at the potential buyer’s house hoping for a $5,000 payoff, but it’s the audience that’s truly compensated. Alfred Molina’s performance as the drug dealer/buyer is equal parts hilarious and terrifying, as he smokes coke, sings ‘80s songs, plays Russian Roulette and enlists an Asian boy to light firecrackers for no discernible reason. Dirk Diggler stares into the abyss for an entire minute, as overwhelmed as we are about what’s going to happen next. It’s definitely the most tense we’ve been while “Jessie’s Girl” has been playing.
#4: “It Was a Real Score” “GoodFellas” (1990)
It’s hard to pick only one memorable drug scene in “Goodfellas,” as Henry Hill’s dealings with his Pittsburgh connection are all unforgettable in their own right. But you know the scene we’re talking about, where “Gimme Shelter” plays through his rise to success. After Henry leaves prison, with the help of his associates in Pittsburgh, Henry’s small-time distribution becomes gigantic. Of course, what goes up must go down, and in one fell swoop, Henry gets busted while organizing a deal, his coke gets flushed, and he becomes the target of his own mafia family. To avoid prison or death, Hill rats out his said friends and enters Witness Protection. It really must have been hard to leave the glamor of pay-offs and coke balls behind.
#3: “I Said Goddamn!” “Pulp Fiction” (1994)
Among the several intriguing storylines in “Pulp Fiction,” Vincent and Mia’s date is a drug-addled shoe-in for this list. Conscripted by Marsellus Wallace to entertain his wife, Vincent arrives at the Wallace house to find a seductively evasive Mia. She’s just a little bit busy with cocaine. She snorts multiple lines before meeting Vincent and embarking on the “date.” The restaurant scene follows in the same euphoric fashion, with Mia escaping to the bathroom to snort more lines, where her mirror soliloquy is fitting and concise. Following a coked out dance routine, the pair returns to Mia’s home, where the real drama begins. Mia mistakes Vincent’s heroin for coke and overdoses. We’re sure you know what happens next.
#2: “Move Aside, Baby” “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013)
Jordan Belfort is a stockbroker whose unrestrained wealth and lifestyle naturally leads to a drug habit. In many scenes, we see Jordan in the throes of drug-mania, like when he sits down for some Tootskis at a meal with Matthew McConaughey or the fight with Naomi, but the Quaalude debacle knocks Jordan – and us – off our feet. Though nearly paralyzed from the effects of some extra-heavy Quaaludes, Jordan still flawlessly drives his Lamborghini home from a country club, trying to stop his friend, Donnie, who also took the ‘ludes, from ratting them out. The altercation leads Donnie to choke on cold cuts. Then cocaine steps in to save the day. Jordan snorts a vial of the white stuff, reversing the Quaaludes’ effects and allowing him to free Donnie of the meaty obstruction. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: - “Just Put It in Your Pants” “True Romance” (1993) - “Just a Little Primer to Get Us Started” “Flight” (2012) - “Shoot Him Again, His Soul’s Still Dancing” “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans” (2009) - “You Add This Into the Mix” “Casino” (1995) - “And Now We’re Going to Live on the Internet” “The Social Network” (2010)
#1: “We’re Going to War” “Scarface” (1983)
“Scarface” is all at once a commercial for and a PSA against cocaine. The film follows Tony Montana’s power-obsessed journey, his rise and fall as a drug lord, and his eventual, emotional cocaine-fueled climax, which occurs in this iconic scene. Surveying a sizable yield of his own product, Tony has an epiphany in front of the cocaine mountain… and buries himself in it, increasingly feeling the guilt of what he’s done come crashing down on him. We can only assume that his life flashes before his eyes, and he doesn’t like what he sees. In that moment, he stands on the precipice of bloodshed, with cocaine as his frosted silver lining. Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair! Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite coke-centric scene? For more uninhibited Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.