Crisis Review: An All-Compassing, Underwhelming Drug Epic
February 25, 2021
The brutal opioid crisis in America deserves an all-encompassing epic, and that is what filmmaker Nicholas Jarecki is determined to deliver with
Crisis. And while his new film
, which he both wrote and directed, certainly has the cast and the scope to succeed, there is not quite enough meat on its bones. In short, Jarecki’s narrative reach exceeds its grasp. Despite all that’s going on, there is precious little to latch on to.
The obvious (and perhaps lazy) cinematic comparison here is Steven Soderbergh’s
Traffic, the celebrated drug war drama from the year 2000. Both films introduce multiple plot threads that all connect somewhere along the drug-trafficked chain. In
Review: Crisis takes a muddled look at opioid addiction detroitnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from detroitnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Written and Directed by Nicholas Jarecki.
Starring Gary Oldman, Armie Hammer, Evangeline Lilly, Greg Kinnear, Michelle Rodriguez, Luke Evans, Lily-Rose Depp, Kid Cudi, Veronica Ferres, Mia Kirshner, Indira Varma, Martin Donovan, Michael Aronov, Toni Garrn, Ellora Torchia, Adam Tsekhman, Sara Sampaio, Nicholas Jarecki, Éric Bruneau, Duke Nicholson, Daniel Jun, Benz Antoine, and Kwasi Songui.
SYNOPSIS:
Three stories about the world of opioids collide: a drug trafficker arranges a multi-cartel Fentanyl smuggling operation between Canada and the U.S., an architect recovering from an oxycodone addiction tracks down the truth behind her son’s involvement with narcotics, and a university professor battles unexpected revelations about his research employer, a drug company with deep government influence bringing a new “non-addictive” painkiller to market.