The Panic In Needle Park
directed by Jerry Schatzberg
directed by Jerry Schatzberg
I hadn't watched this 1971 movie about the romance of two New York City heroin addicts. I knew it had soon to be superstar Al Pacino's first leading role, which caught The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola's eye.
Coppola thought that Pacino had the gravitas and intensity to play Michael Corleone and used this film to persuade skeptical Paramount producers and studio executives of Pacino's skill. Watching this movie it seems impossible that anyone couldn't have recognized that Pacino was destined for greater things.
Hindsight is always 20/20. Many actors and actresses do wonderful work in one movie and then for whatever reason never touch greatness again. So who can really tell. This movie reminded me of similar later movies such as Requiem For A Dream, Leaving Las Vegas, and Drugstore Cowboy. This film has an anti-drug message but it transmits that message without preaching or turning its characters into caricatures.
The film's characters are lowlifes but they're not always doing lowlife things. They have hopes, dreams, and fun like anyone else.
The relation between the two leads feels real. Neither lead is a good person though they are capable of occasional kindness---provided you are not between them and their next heroin fix.
Helen (Kitty Winn) is a young Indiana born woman drifting thru life in NYC. Helen claims to be an artist. She just had a back-alley abortion arranged by her boyfriend Marco (Raul Julia). The procedure left her sick, bleeding, and depressed. Marco couldn't care less.
One man who does care is Marco's drug dealer, Bobby (Pacino). Pacino shows interest in Helen and tries to help her heal. Before long Helen and Bobby are an item. Helen soon discovers that Bobby is not just a heroin dealer but also a heroin addict, though he claims otherwise.
Water seeks its own level. When fast talking Bobby can't find any heroin to score, he's not shy about wheedling Helen to get some for him. Helen starts using, which puts her on the radar of the local narcotics detective, Hotch (Alan Vint)
Hotch might be interested in Helen for the obvious, might want to save her from the streets, or might want to use her to get to Bobby and his suppliers.
This movie isn't focused on "saving" anyone. Helen and Bobby are both capable of inflicting emotional and physical violence upon each other. And they do. Helen mocks Bobby and locks him out of their shared apartment when she's turning tricks to get money for their (usually her) addiction. Helen is not shy about sharing herself with anyone who can provide her heroin or money, including Bobby's friends or relatives. There's not many actresses who can depict that and still radiate vulnerability and decency.
Bobby and Helen continually orbit each other, linked by their mutual addiction and co-dependence. The couple talk of getting clean and moving to the country. They have some happiness, whether it be taking the Staten Island ferry or playing stickball.
However the movie's lack of music and grimy reality (everything was shot on location in NYC) makes you think that a happy ending is unlikely. You may be surprised, though. Who can say? Richard Bright, Al Neri from The Godfather, appears here as Bobby's brother, Hank. Paul Sorvino is a john who's angry that Helen stole from him. This movie has a lot of what I like about 70s cinema.
