Crisis

Nosy mom a hero. Big pharma the bad guys. Cover ups and working with Armenian drug dealers. The entire movie is a bad cliche. Plot holes. Nonsensical confessions. It overall was very silly and leaves a feeling of regret having watched it all.

Really enjoyed this. It is a good, thoughtful watch. Yes there are some foibles, but it doesn't detract from the overall story/ies. I think it is very poignant now, especially with all the new Covid vaccines rushing to market and you really have to ask yourself........ Anyway, a very good movie!

IN A NUTSHELL: This dramatic thriller is based on true events and is a hard-hitting look at the frustrating fight against drugs. The movie follows three related stories that intertwine from different perspectives of the opioid crisis in America. We get a glimpse into the life of the creators of the drugs, the scientists behind them, the users, and the loved ones left affected by a user's derailed life. The film is written and directed by Nicholas Jarecki. It was originally going to be released with the name of Dreamland, but that title was already taken in 2019. Of course, there is also another movie named Crisis Some say the movie doesn't go deep enough, but it's still an opportunity to talk about this crisis, especially as the number of users has risen during the worldwide pandemic. THINGS I LIKED: The cast is fantastic. Academy award-winning Gary Oldman is such a solid actor whom I love to study when he's on-screen. I've always enjoyed Golden Globe nominee Artie Hammer's performances ever since I first saw him in The Social Network I also always love seeing Golden Globe nominee Evangeline Lilly and Screen Actors Award winner Michelle Rodriguez, but I think this is the first time they've been reunited on the screen since their hit TV show Lost - The Complete First Season from 2004-2010. (I got completely sucked into that TV series until I realized the writers of that show got lost.) Michelle Rodriguez also co-starred with Luke Evans in Fast & Furious 6in 2013 Lily-Rose Depp and Academy Award nominee Greg Kinnear round out the excellent cast. I love that all of the characters are flawed and conflicted. The movie does a good job illustrating the many-layered nuances of people's careers, values, and the drug problem. At the end of the movie, you see some statistics about the opioid epidemic written across the screen. For example, did you know that more people have died due to opioid overdose in just the past 2 years than died in the entire Vietnam War? Now, that's an epidemic worth talking about and making films about, don't you think? THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: Lots of tropes we've seen before. Critics have been complaining that it's just a rehash of the movie Traffic but not done as well. The movie seems to endorse street justice with the story that features Evangeline Lilly. In one of the first scenes in the movie, she attends a recovery meeting, admitting that she's barely holding it together after her own drug use, but then she is suddenly able to go on a cross-border vigilante adventure, seeking answers about her son. The writing is done in earnest, yet some of the storylines don't seem quite believable. No humor. This is pure drama, as it should be since this issue is so serious. TIPS FOR PARENTS: Profanity and F-bombs Addiction to Oxycontin and Fentanyl Bloody murder Guns You see a few dead bodies You can see the rest of my review on my Movie Review Mom YouTube channel.

Skillfully takes on the difficult topic of oxy addition from many angles where everyone in the story has lost or has something to lose leading to hard choices. Strong performances by Gary Oldman and Evangeline Lilly make it an engaging watch that I enjoyed. Would recommend.

As "Crisis" (2021 release; 118 min.) opens, we are reminded the film is "Inspired by True Events". We find ourselves at the "US/Canada Border, 40 Miles South of Montreal", where a dope smuggler is trying to reach the US border, but he is intercepted by Canadian police. We shift to "Detroit, Michigan", where we get to know several DEA guys, speculating on how the Canadian police became aware of the smuggler. In a separate story line, we get to know Claire at an NA meeting, She has a 16 yr.old son. In yet another story line, we are introduced to the Big Pharma makers of Klaralon, a new pain killer that supoosedly is entirely non-addictive. At this point we are 10 min. into the film, but to tell you more of the plot would not only spoil your viewing experience, but frankly it'd be pretty much impossible to do... Couple of comments: this is the new film from writer-producer-director Nicholas Jarecki, whose prior film, 2012's "Arbitrage", was an unexpected delight (starring a latter day Richard Gere in top form). Here Jarecki wants to bring an international opioids crime drama of the highest order. I regret to inform you sadly the film simply misfires, and for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the plot is byzantine in its complexity and frankly impossible to follow. After half an hour, I couldn't make heads or tails of it, leaving me frustrated and even annoyed. Who are the good guys? and the bad guys? are the DEA guys dirty? is the university reseacher dirty? Haven't a clue. I don't mind being led astray in a movie's script, but not when halfway into the film I truly have no idea what I'm watching. Then there are the acting performances. which are mostly sub-par, none more so than Evangeline Lilly (as the mother of the 16 yr. old). Watch her reaction to when she receives an update from the cops about her missing son. Utterly pathetic and completely unbelievable. Gary Oldman (as the university researcher) is a little better, but just barely. Armie Hammer and Greg Kinnear seem to be sleepwalking through it all. But not all is lost: the movie's photogtraphy is great, and there is a nice electronic score, courtesy of Raphael Reed. It's regretfully not enough to save the movie, which feels like a wanna-be "Traffic" drug drama for this day and age, but falls well short of that one. "Crisis" opened in theaters a week ago, and I finally went to see it this weekend. The Friday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended surprisingly well: I counted a good 15 people, which is far more than the typical 5 to 10 attendants at most movies I've seen in these still ongoing COVID-19 times. The overall movieplex was eerily empty, though. I honestly don't know how movie theaters can operate profitably like that. All that aside, based on Nicholas Jarecki's involvement with this, I had high hopes for "Crisis" and hence I feel quite disappointed with this film. But of course don't take my words for it, and I encourage you to check it out, be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

The way that "Crisis" is constructed, it probably shouldn't be as high as 8/10 stars in my rankings. It utilizes the somewhat tired "seemingly unrelated plot lines that finally converge at the end trope" and is fairly melodramatic in all of them. Fortunately, the acting in each scenario is strong enough to carry the film to more-than-solid status. For a very basic overview, "Crisis" follows three distinct stories, all related to the opioid drug crisis: -Jake (Armie Hammer) is an undercover agent trying to set up an enormous bust of the primary opioid runners. -Claire (Evangeline Lilly), a former drug abuser herself, sees son David (Billy Bryk) unexpectedly caught up in that same culture and vows to get to the bottom of what is transpiring. -Dr. Brower (Gary Oldman), a teacher/chemist, notices that the final trials for a new, potentially non-addictive painkiller are ineffective and potentially dangerous. But fighting the FDA's approval proves to be an uphill battle every step of the way. Eventually, those three plot lines converge under the writing and directorship of Nicholas Jarecki. Though not something I can exactly put my finger on, there's a decent amount here that simply "doesn't work". Perhaps it is the over/melo-dramatic nature of the material, or the predictable story structure, or the seemingly lack of high production value support. Though Jarecki tackles a worthy issue, I'm not sure this is the effort that will 100% do it justice. What "Crisis" does accomplish, however, is putting the right actors in the right rolls and letting them shine. Hammer's undercover cop is the perfect blend of confidence and terror. Lilly's emotion and resolve as the baffled and frustrated mother steals the show on multiple occasions (I wish this LOST alum was in more projects, as she is always so solid). Oldman--as usual--is his somewhat underrated yet spectacular self, allowed to emote wildly and monologue almost at will, two of his best thespian skills. So, while the overall setup/flow of the picture isn't perfect by any means, these acting performances make up much lost ground. Overall, I enjoyed "Crisis" more than I thought I would, to be perfectly honest. Simply put, I was attracted to the film because of the cast, and that was the exact reason I left the theater satisfied.