Smoke-and-mirrors. Flashy, overrated drugs movie has little to say

Rating: Null/10 (4 April 2003)

Darren Aronofsky followed up Pi - a super-stylised near-masterpiece - with this highly-regarded drugs picture which uses almost every visual trick imaginable. Were such technical wizardry enhancing the story (as in Citizen Kane), it would be an admirable achievement, but here it seems to have replaced it. With as many meaningless subplots and unpleasant characters as the similarly-over-hyped Heat, Requiem is not the classic that it has been described as. Rather, it is a deeply flawed piece which loses its emotional impact through a relentless barrage of visual tricks. Indeed, "trick" seems an apt word to use, for much of the film's audience appears to have been deceived and led astray by the showy direction and obvious symbolism. Ellen Burstyn is brilliant, but plot and screenplay are markedly sub-standard, and both Leto and Wayans deliver unmemorable turns.
In terms of editing and visual originality, then, Requiem may be judged a success, but in grand terms, simply a mess, despite Burstyn's unforgettable central performance.