Crisis movie review 2021

MOVIE TITLE: Crisis

Available in select theaters on February 26, 2021, and on Video On Demand on March 5, 2021.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 58 minutes

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

THEMES:

The opioid epidemic
Whistleblowers
Greed
Big Pharma
Truth
Power

INTERESTING LINES:

“I would like to be a better person for him and I’m working on that every day.” – antman
“What am I supposed to do now?” I don’t know.”
“The people will know and that’s the best I can do.” – Tyrone