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Panic In Needle Park (The)
R2 - United Kingdom - Second Sight Review written by and copyright: Neil Bray (11th August 2011). |
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The Film
 The Panic in Needle Park follows lost soul Helen as she slides into the world of drug dependency. Following an illegal botched abortion she has a chance meeting with small-time crook Bobby (Al Pacino in a role that supposedly won him the part in The Godfather). The pair fall hard for each other and soon Helen becomes embroiled in Bobby’s world of heroin addiction in Manhattan’s Needle Park. If the above synopsis has piqued your interest then you may very well enjoy this film. However, if you think it sounds like a bunch of miserable rubbish you’d be correct and should steer clear. It took me three attempts to watch this film, and initially I couldn’t figure out why. At first I thought it was simply that the subject matter holds no interest for me; but that wasn’t it. Finally, by my final attempt at watching, I figured it out: there’s no music score. I’m not sure I realised just how important a film’s music is until there was none. Sure, the lack of music gives the film a realistic, almost documentary-like quality; but what it also does is highlight the film’s shortcomings. I didn’t empathise with a single character in this film. Their lives and the troubles they go through simply left me cold. They choose to take drugs; so it’s their fault their lives are crap, and I don’t want to watch a film about it! Maybe a little bit of music to manipulate my emotions would have improved the experience of watching this – but I doubt it. Kitty Winn and Al Pacino both give solid performances and in their own ways they both bring admirable qualities to the characters. But, in my opinion, their performances were better than the material deserved. However, no matter how good the actors there’s no denying how bleak and depressing this film is. I know this film receives generally good reviews from critics and fans alike, so maybe I’m missing something. Maybe, if I were more intelligent I’d be able to see the subtle complexities of the script, filming and performances; but somehow I don’t think so.
Video
Presented in 1.78:1. The picture quality on this film is dreadful. If this has been remastered I’ll eat my hat! It’s grainy, very dark, blurred a lot of the time; and when it’s not these things it’s overly soft-focused. Absolutely dreadful!
Audio
Only one sound option: a Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track. No subtitles. Very poor sound levels that fluctuate from scene to scene; and there’s a fair amount of distortion in various scenes.
Extras
Panic in the Streets of New York (24.20) is an interview with Director Jerry Schatzberg who talks about how he got involved, casting and the Cinematographer. Also interviewed is Cinematographer Adam Holender who speaks about his love of New York and how he tried to bring this into the film. I actually found this extra a lot more interesting than the film itself. Writers in Needle Park (8.52) is an interview with co-screenwriter Joan Didion in which she talks about the writing process and inspiration for the film.
Overall
A thoroughly unrewarding, emotionless film. It’s only redeeming feature is its two lead actors. I’m sure many other people get a lot more out of this film; but I watch movies to be entertained, and this film didn’t even come close to achieving that. I really hated it.
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