The Panic in Needle Park
Director: Jerry Schatzberg
Year Released: 1971
Rating: 1.0
Impressionable Kitty Winn is wooed by hyperactive smack addict Al Pacino, and before you know it, she's gone from good girl to junkie herself, selling her own ass to teenagers for money. The real panic is in the script to this sham job, as the implication that 'anyone' sweet and light can fall under the allure of Mexican Mud is paranoid; it's clear Schatzberg (and Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne) relish those close-ups of the needles being tapped into bare skin. At least with Trainspotting there was a story and a sense of humor - this, aside from not developing its characters, also neglects to enliven the discussion on drug discussion aside from the rudimentary 'it destroys lives' line.
