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Past and present drug movies are cautionary tales

This undated photo released by Warner Bros. shows, from left, actors Johnny Lee Miller, Ewan McGregor, Kevin McKidd and Ewen Bremmer in a scene from the film “Trainspotting,” considered by many to be one of the best drug-culture movies of all time.

“Far Too Far,” the second anti-drug feature by independent filmmaker Justin Hunt, a native of New Mexico who now lives in Colorado Springs, will open April 3 at the Allen 8 theater in Farmington.

After the success of Hunt’s 2007 documentary “American Meth,” his new film is a reminder that, despite the laughable, ridiculousness of some propaganda films such as “Reefer Madness” (1936) and “The Pace That Kills” (1935) and plenty of after-school TV specials in the 1960s through 1980s, there still are some good, cautionary screen tales of the drawbacks and consequences of hard drugs.

If you’ve never done drugs but are thinking of trying, some of these films might convince you never to snort a line or stick a needle in your arm.

Going back to 1955, Otto Preminger’s “The Man with the Golden Arm” was an artistic breakthrough for superstar Frank Sinatra as a down-and-out card dealer struggling with heroin addiction and trying to get his marriage to Eleanor Parker back on track. The film is one of the few from the golden age of Hollywood to show addiction in such a harrowing manner.

Fast-forward 16 years, and Al Pacino would make his screen debut as the co-lead of “Panic in Needle Park,” playing a junkie who gets his girlfriend, Kitty Winn, addicted, as well. In 2006, Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish would play an updated version of a heroin-addicted couple in the indie drama “Candy.”

Cocaine is a common theme in crime flicks, and Ted Demme’s 2001 biopic “Blow,” about real-life drug dealer George Jung (Johnny Depp), is no exception. The movie originally received mixed reactions but has grown into a cult classic along the lines of Brian de Palma’s “Scarface” (1983), though less campy.

Another soon-to-be cult classic with a cautionary tale is Martin Scorsese’s satirical biopic “The Wolf of Wall Street,” which stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a corrupt stockbroker living life to the fullest through coke and Quaaludes. It’s all fun and games until the FBI is at his door and he puts his own child in danger.

Steven Soderbergh’s Oscar-winning ensemble epic “Traffic” isn’t just a look into the narcotics and drug circles of Mexico but also is a reminder that any teen can become hooked on drugs – in this case, Erika Christensen’s straight-A high school student who abandons her friends and family.

Marek Kanievska’s 1987 adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ “Less Than Zero” had art imitating life with Robert Downey Jr. as a drug-addicted college student who blows away all his money and connections, no matter how much his fellow partiers, played by Andrew McCarthy and Jami Gertz, try to help.

Gus van Sant’s indie drama “Drugstore Cowboy” (1989) showed a group of druggies led by Matt Dillon and Kelly Lynch who knock off drug stores and hospitals just to get high – one of Dillon’s best performances.

Among the best drug-related films of all time are Danny Boyle’s “Trainspotting” (1996) and Darren Aronofksy’s “Requiem for a Dream” (2000). Boyle’s screen version of Irvine Welsh’s popular novel portrays the brutality and fatality of heroin addiction in a breakthrough film for Ewan McGregor, Kelly Macdonald and Jonny Lee Miller.

Aronofsky’s film adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr.’s book is a graphic, frightening depiction of prescription pills, coke, heroin and ecstasy that includes hallucinations, infections and prostitution starring Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly and Marlon Wayans.

All of these movies are a reminder that filmmaking is not just meant to be entertaining but also can inspire people to make real-life decisions for the better.

mbianco@durangoherald.com. Megan Bianco is a movie reviewer and also contributes other entertainment-related articles and features.



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