Customer Reviews

The Panic in Needle Park

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Before Trainspotting, before Traffic, there was The Panic. Al is dynamic, really! A beleivable street-wise drug dealer, who takes in Helen, the pathetic, but pretty girlfriend of one of his customers. Helen's boyfriend is a painter and is about as loving and attentive to Helen as you would be to a discarded cigarette butt. Al endears himself to her, when her visits he in the hospital after she has a dubious "medical" procedure that renders her a hemorrhaging mess. She's his from that moment on. Al's character is the kind of guy who can dabble in drugs, but never becomes hooked. His girlfriend Helen is the opposite and slowly, but surely she becomes the proverbial slave to the needle. We meet a variety of New York characters, and see the city from an interesting perspective. In the end Helen gets a little unpredictable, but I don't want to give away the ending. I can say it left me wanting more!

No film has ever managed to capture the level of realism, depression, and grittiness that this film achieves. The Panic in Needle Park is a true masterpiece. Not only a great film but an early showcase for Al Pacino, one of the finest actors ever. Such an utterly believable film it's hard to stomach, but entirely worth it. One of the best films of the 1970's. It needs to be released on DVD in the US.

**** out of ****

I FOUND THE MOVIE TO BE VERY EXPLICIT ABOUT DRUGS AND SEX.I THOUGHT THE MOVIE WAS GOOD I OWN THE DVD PURCHASED ON AMAZON UK AS I CANNOT WAIT ANOTHER YEAR FOR THE US RELEASE AGAIN HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.5 STAR RATING.

I saw this film for the first time last night on the Fox Movie Channel, and it was remarkably gritty and explicit for 1971. In fact, I'm confused by the fact that Amazon lists this movie as being rated PG. It's much more deserving of an "R" with shots of Kitty Winn's breasts, lots of obscene language (including the f-word), and plenty of shots of needles being inserted lovingly into veins. That having been said, this is an excellent and gritty look at the bleak, streetbound existance of lowly heroin addicts in New York City. This was a much talked-about film when it was first released, and why it is not available on DVD in the United States escapes me.