4 stars of outrageously funny creature feature/black comedy.
Cocaine Bear is a 2023 American comedy horror film written by Jimmy Warden (Borderline, The Babysitter) and directed by Elizabeth Banks (Pitch perfect 2, Charlie’s Angels).
The film is inspired by real events which took place in Georgia in 1985, although the aftermath was very different and no-one was killed.
It is presented here on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD from 29th May 2023 courtesy of Mediumrare Entertainment and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE).
“Black bears are not motivated by territoriality. They will seldom attack humans in their vicinity.”
As the film opens we see drug smuggler Andrew C. Thornton (Matthew Rhys – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) in a plane that’s going down in a storm. He throws out bags full of cocaine over Blood Mountain in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia, as instructed by drug kingpin Syd (Ray Liotta – Goodfellas, Revolver). He himself knocks himself out while jumping, leading his body to be found in Knoxville, Tennessee by police officer Bob (Isiah Whitlock Jr. – Cedar Rapids), who recognizes him and heads to Georgia to investigate.
When Syd finds out, he too sends people to investigate, his henchmen Daveed (O’Shea Jackson Jr. – Straight Outta Compton) and son Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich – Solo: A Star Wars Story)
Young lovebirds Olaf (Kristofer Hivju – Game of Thrones) and Elsa (Hannah Hoekstra – Faithfully Yours) are enjoying a hike on Blood Mountain when they encounter a black bear. Immediately they realise this is no normal bear, it’s on a rampage.
Meanwhile two kids Dee Dee (Brooklynn Prince – Settlers, The Turning) and Henry (Christian Convery – Sweet Tooth, Beautiful Boy) are skipping school to visit the waterfalls when they happen upon a bag of cocaine and waste no time in sampling it. They also notice another load of ripped open bags and realise that it has all been eaten by a bear.
Throw in Dee Dee’s mother Sari (Keri Russell – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), who is looking for her daughter, Park Ranger Liz (Margo Martindale – August: Osage County, Sneaky Pete), Wildlife Inspector Peter (Jesse Tyler Ferguson – Wonderful World), as well as three delinquent teenagers who call themselves The Doochamps and a couple of paramedics, and the stage is set for a wild afternoon on Blood Mountain with a rampaging cocaine fueled bear!
“How much do you think this stuff is worth? Let’s sell drugs together!”
Cocaine Bear is a hilarious film, well written and directed and laugh out loud funny from start to finish. It also gave rise to quite a lot of ‘ooohs’ and ‘ahhs’ and ‘owwws’, always a sign of a good comedy/horror.
If gore is your thing then there’s plenty of that too, as well as lots of pretty fruity language, I was a little surprised at the 15 certificate. There is tons of slapstick comedy too and in general it’s just really good fun.
Lighthearted (in a black hearted kind of way), delightfully irreverent (coked up kids anyone?) and blood soaked, this one is well worth adding to your collection. Settle down in front of your TV for a rip roaring snort fest.
“I’d love to not remember that, but it seems like the thing that stays with a man forever.”
Cocaine Bear is available now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital Download
Special Features
Alternate Ending
Deleted & Extended Scenes
Gag Reel
All Roads Lead to Cokey: The Making of COCAINE BEAR
UnBEARable Bloodbath: Dissecting the Kills
Doing Lines – The cast and filmmakers read lines from the script to COCAINE BEAR
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
| Director | Elizabeth Banks |
| Genre | Comedy, horror, thriller |
| Starring | Keri Russell, Margo Martindale, Christian Convery, Ray Liotta |
Available to buy on :   | |