The most powerful movie I have ever seen, Burstyn's performance is stunning and tragic

Rating: 10/10 (19 July 2006)

This is the best anti-drug movie I have ever seen. Although the messages are fairly simple, they are presented with competence by Aronofsky. The imagery is horrific and disturbing but so powerful and real. The four actors (Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly and Marlon Wayans) are all outstanding. The score is brooding and haunting, as is the direction.
On Coney Island, there are four ambitious people. Sarah Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn), her son Harry (Jared Leto), his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) and his best friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans). They all have hopes and dreams, but they are soon shattered as their addictions to different drugs spiral out of control.
This is probably one of the best casts I have ever seen, they all are brilliant and have great chemistry. Burstyn was robbed. What the Academy did was an outrage. Her performance was perfect and haunting, if ever there was an injustice with the Academy, it was her losing. Leto, Connelly and Wayans are all fantastic as well. The music is haunting and adds to the effect of the final scene.
What we are presented with is raw, disturbing, haunting and real. The images of what these drugs can do are horrible. The last few minutes of the movie are extremely sad and ever so powerful. This is taken the place as one of my favourite movies.
5/5.