Review of The Panic in Needle Park (1971) by Stuart K — 06 Feb 2015
Based on the 1967 book of the same name by James Mills, adapted by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne (A Star Is Born (1976) and Up Close & Personal (1996)), and directed by Jerry Schatzberg (Scarecrow (1973) Sweet Revenge (1976) and Reunion (1989)), this is a harrowing film for it's day, even more so as you see the drug use done in graphic realism, it was a hot potato at the time.
Set in New York, Helen (Kitty Winn) has just come home after suffering a quite nasty abortion, she shares an apartment with her boyfriend Marco (Raúl Juliá), who doesn't seem to care much for Helen.
He goes away for a bit, but things change when Bobby (Al Pacino) turns up, as Marco owes Bobby some money, but he see's Helen is in a bad state and cares for her, even visiting her in hospital when she has a bad turn.
When she gets out, she's introduced to Bobby's friends, who are all drug dealers and addicts, and they begin a doomed love affair. This was only the second film Pacino had made at the time, but it was his role as the streetwise Bobby that got him cast in The Godfather (1972), and it's a very dirty, grotty look at what drug addiction is really like, and what it can do to people.
The film is essentially about the end of the swinging 60's, and the hangover that followed.
This review of The Panic in Needle Park (1971) was written by Stuart K on 06 Feb 2015.
The Panic in Needle Park has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
