Cocaine Bear [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD]

Director: Elizabeth Banks Elizabeth Banks

Overview

In the wilderness of Georgia, an unlikely band of police officers, notorious criminals, unwitting tourists, and ragtag teenagers find themselves thrust into a situation of life or death. When an unnaturally large black bear suddenly rampages through the forest after consuming cocaine, the humans must outlast the creature or face fatal consequences. Elizabeth Banks directs the thriller. Co-starring Ray Liotta, Keri Russell, and Alden Ehrenreich.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/18/2023
UPC:	0191329239216
Original Release:	2023
Source:	Universal Studios
Language:	English
Sales rank:	9,694

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ray Liotta	Actor
Keri Russell	Sari
Margo Martindale	Actor
Alden Ehrenreich	Actor
Matthew Rhys	Actor
O'Shea Jackson Jr.	Actor
Kahyun Kim	Actor
Kristofer Hivju	Actor
Isiah Whitlock Jr.	Bob
Scott Seiss	Actor
Jesse Tyler Ferguson	Actor
Brooklynn Prince	Actor
Christian Convery	Henry
Ayoola Smart	Officer Reba
Aaron Holliday	Stache
Chloe Harris	Citizen in Police Station
Conor Lambert	Trucker
Shane Connellan	Ray
J.B. Moore	Vest
Oisín Nolan	Henry's Dad
Leo Hanna	Ponytail
Christopher Livingstone	Detective
Oisin Nolan	Henry's Dad
Mark Mothersbaugh	Composer

Technical Credits

Jimmy Warden

Robin Mulcahy Fisichella	Executive Producer
Elizabeth Banks	Producer,Director
Brian Duffield	Producer
Jimmy Warden	Screenwriter
Max Handelman	Producer
Nikki Baida	Executive Producer
Phil Lord	Producer
Alison Small	Executive Producer
Matt Reilly	Producer
Christopher Miller	Producer
Debra Zane	Casting
Ali Coffey	Casting
Christine Sun	Producer
Aditya Sood	Producer
Dylan Jury	Casting
Dave Whitehead	Sound/Sound Designer
Robin Fisichella	Executive Producer
Ethan Van der Ryn	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Since the release of the first trailer, Cocaine Bear has been on the tips of everyone's tongue, whether because of skepticism or anticipation. It is an adventurous and ambitious project for director Elizabeth Banks. Luckily, she pulls it off with flair and panache. Banks is joined on this project by a talented and fantastic cast including Ray Liotta (Goodfellas), Keri Russell (Antlers), Alden Ehrenreich (Hail, Caesar!), O'Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton), Isiah Whitlock Jr. (Cedar Rapids), Brooklynn Prince (The Turning), Christian Convery (Venom), Margo Martindale (The Hollars), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Untraceable), and Kristofer Hivju (The Thing). The film is inspired by a true story in which a 175-pound American black bear opened and ate nearly 40 plastic containers full of cocaine and died. However, in the film, the bear goes on a drug-fueled rampage terrorizing a mother and her child, a park ranger and her love interest, and complicating matters for a detective, a drug kingpin, and his minions. There are few black comedy/horror films that really hit the nail on the head, balancing just enough humor with the plot. In order to strike the right balance between the whacky absurd storyline, Cocaine Bear needed to ramp up the humor. While it doesn't do this using clever dialogue and wit, it achieves equal levels of absurdity using flailing and flying limbs, an entertaining group of expendable characters, and buckets full of red dye #5. When it comes to slasher and horror movies packed with gore, it is easy to overdo the blood spatter without doing anything interesting. Cocaine Bear manages to avoid that by using some creative theatrics. Watch out for the ambulance scene in particular, which offers some imaginative physics and new ways of using prosthetics. The cast is amazing and dedicated to the project. Lines are delivered earnestly despite the hilarity and ridiculousness of the situation. Everyone performs exceptionally well. No stranger to comedy, Kristofer Hivju is a wonderful surprise. Most people know him as Tormund Giantsbane from Game of Thrones, with his signature smile, clever one-liners, and beard. In Cocaine Bear, the beard and charisma are back. His character (Olaf/Kristoffer) is a delightfully bright contrast against the drugged-out bear. Ray Liotta, in his final cinematic role, does a stellar job as drug kingpin Syd. Kerry Russell also does a wonderful job as the figurative mama bear, trying her best to rescue her daughter from the clutches of an actual bear. The banter and chemistry between Ehrenreich's Eddie and Jackson Jr.'s Daveed are entertaining to watch. It's not going to change anyone's life or add meaning and depth to the human narrative, but it is definitely a fun and wild ride. If the trailer was appealing, the movie will not disappoint. It deserves to be experienced in a theater with friends.