Pain Hustlers

Carried by a typically strong Blunt performance, Pain Hustlers is both watchable and eye-opening, even though its dramatic impulses do kind of cancel each other out.

Directed by David Yates, who has spent most of the last two decades helming "Harry Potter" movies and prequels and might not be the best fit for this material, Pain Hustlers aims to be a fast-paced, raucous, blunt and slick work a la "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "The Big Short," but winds up caught between the worlds of breezy satire and hard truth. Emily Blunt and Chris Evans are fabulous but you'll be hard-pressed to remember anything else by the time the credits are done rolling.

But the movie does succeed in unpacking the raw grift and exploitation of the pharma sales business, and the wider dysfunction of the American health care and legal systems that allows it to go unchecked. So a thumbs up on that part.

My Rating: 6.5/10.

Charasmetic leads. Though hard to watch Captain America as an ass#ole. There have been so many shows recently about the OxyContin epidemic. This one suffers because it's at the end of the line. At least it's not an 8 part series that takes forever to tell the same story. Catherine O'Hara in a non comedic role is a joy to watch., Andy Garcia ... used to be an A class actor. Seems a bit desperate to have taken on this role. Still ... it's an important lesson. The role of big chemical companies in modern society and how they prey on the vulnerable is highlighted. Which is a good thing. Not that this will change anything.

First off, it's not like the pain killer shows from Netflix and Hulu, different drug. Secondly, I don't understand why people are hating on the movie. Story line is great, acting is great and it's an interesting story based on true events. Not sure what else you really need in a film to make it at a bare minimum enjoyable.

Saw a review said "it's not cool for a kid to start a forest fire." As that statement is true, the movie didn't make it cool n it's literally 7seconds of the film. Or someone else was comparing it to a Scorsese film? Lol I guess having music and interesting story makes that true? People are so sensitive and just can't enjoy a movie.

Considering there are now more than 75 reviews on the movie, I'll keep it brief.

Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Andy Garcia, Catherine O'Hara and all the actors turn in strong performances. It's really their acting that made the story engaging and effective. Especially considering the big pharma genre of drama movies has been milked a lot lately. Blunt is a stand-out here, bringing emotion to every scene she's in.

You'll get high drama, a little suspense, a few laughs and feel a connection with at least one of the main characters. You will likely also feel some anger... and compassion for Emily Blunt's character and her daughter.

It's a bit longer than I felt it should've been but it will keep you interested to see how it all comes to a head at the end. If you've got a couple hours and are looking for a dramatic story about the corruption of the pharmaceutical industry, this movie is worth the watch. A move has to be almost life-changing for me to rate it 8, 9, or10, but in my book, this one is a solid 7.

Like some other posters I am at a loss to discern why this got poor reviews. It's well made, has a great cast and is a pertinent moral tale. Blunt is the star of course and she carries the film along with Chris Evans. Based on a true story it exposes the corruption in the pharmaceutical industry that fosters greed and profit over the actual health of America's citizens. Once Blunt's character, her fellow sales people and all the immoral doctors involved in prescribing pain meds get hooked on huge payouts, no one cares about the damaged lives that resulted. It's very entertaining and very sobering and justice prevails.