Lou Reed copied well

Rating: 7/10 (22 July 2001)

This movie (and book) plays like a Lou Reed song (see "Street Hassle"). Aronofsky develops his striking style as seen in "Pi," and benefits greatly from a bigger budget. A brilliant film all-around. So note that the topics of this film have been well-explored in the arts for decades. The cinema finally takes their crack at it, and really there is no one better than Aronofsky to handle the task. He seems to have less sympathy for the characters towards the end. Though "predictable" is hardly a word for this film, among independent music at least the story is at times cliched. The cast is what makes this film most memorable. Highly recommended.