Overly stylised, but a much cleaner second half with a harrowing ending.

Rating: 6/10 (12 November 2004)

For the most part this movie ambles along, caught up in a few stylistic touches that it doesn't quite manage to deliver. The repeating mundane and reinforcing dialogue and visuals just go to remind you of events and circumstance that you already know.
However, it is in the second half of the film where it really gets its message forward. It shows how four peoples lives career out of control when drugs begin to take over their lives, and not all from the illegal point of view.
From the second half it's a very interesting and compelling film, dropping to total despair by the last twenty minutes. The final sequence is one of the most harrowing to endure in the movies I've seen in the last few years, and tackles the issues head on without flinching.
Overly stylised it certainly is, but if you can endure those moments and progress onto the latter part of the movie you will have a head on crash with the ending. Harrowing is hardly the word.
I have to say, stunning performance from Jennifer Connelly, and an equally amazing and surprising show from Marlon Wayans. Dump that Wayans trade mark movie and get into the real thing.