Very early Pacino movie examines heroin addiction in painful realism (The Panic In Needle Park (DVD))

Member Name: bruffyboy

Product:	The Panic In Needle Park (DVD)
Date:	03/03/09 (39 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: acting

Disadvantages: low budget

WHAT IS IT ABOUT:
This very early Al Pacino film from 1971 tells the story of heroin addict Bobby and homeless girl Helen. The two fall in love, but when Helen is drawn into Bobby's heroin blurred world, things start to go down hill.

IS IT ANY GOOD:
I would never have found this film if it wasn't for my dogged pursuit of all things Al Pacino, but I am glad I did. It's a very early piece, and has a distinctly low budget, almost documentary style feel to it. This helps with the realism of the piece, which was actually marketed as a real life story upon its release.

Any fan of Pacino will undoubtedly enjoy seeing this historic movie, and it's intriguing to see him finding his feet. Despite youth and inexperience, there is already a lot going for him in this film, and the acting has an authenticity that many experienced actors lack.

The story is subtle and gentle - this is no action pic, but more a character study into the broken and fragmented lives of the two main characters who, drawn together through their needs, crash down together.

An interesting piece of trivia: Francis Ford Coppolla showed this to studio execs to prove Pacino was worthy of the role in The Godfather, which just goes to show that the quality of acting can shine through in any movie.

Summary: watch it