Drugs: The Highs and The Lows

Rating: 10/10 (19 July 2002)

This thing that surprised me those most about this movie was Marlon Wayans' ability to step out of his usually comic role in order to play a convincing drug addict. It is his performance, as well as Ellen Burstyn's that stand out among the many great acting jobs in this movie, such as Jared Leto's and Jennifer Connelly's.
However, it is not just the acting that is great in this movie; the plot and direction are suburb. Instead of becoming corny and melodramatic, it conveys a feeling of helplessness and innocence about drug addiction which makes it that much more powerful. Although the film is very graphic, making it inappropriate for younger viewers, and harsh in its depiction of reality, I believe that this is a film that many age groups can enjoy. Also, what makes this movie great is it's ability to step out from the individual characters, and to tap into the underlying theme of addiction in all of its forms. Therefore I believe that many people will be able to identify different characters in this movie with different parts of their life.
Really, the only critique I have of this movie is the fact that the haunting music will get stuck in your head, and you will be constantly thinking about it. But, that is not a bad thing, in this case, because Hubert Selby, the writer, created this movie to be mulled over for many days. All in all, although this is not for the faint hearted, I highly recommend it.