Spun

I saw this film at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival. Boasting a raft of young talent (Jason Schwartzman, Patrick Fugit, Mena Suvari, Brittany Murphy), this is a frantic tale about a group of methamphetamine addicts. Raunchy, disturbing, and often very very funny. The pace does tend to wear out the viewer, though. Since we saw the "unrated" cut, expect the final "R" version to be more manageable in length. Brittany Murphy and John Leguizamo do amazing work here. And the use of sound is quite jarring and effective, too.

Spun is all about methamphetamine addicts and their supplier (the Cook). The film is an incredible mix of humor and desperation showing addicts losing everything to get their fix. All of the characters are at the lowest rung of society whether they realize it or not, but somehow the movie finds humor in a place that most would describe as hell.

Ross (Jason Schwartzman) is a meth addict whose girlfriend has left him. His connection, Spider Mike (John Leguizamo), keeps losing the supplies that he gets from the Cook (Mickey Rourke). Among Spider's usual gang of idiots includes his significant other, the annoying Cookie (Mena Suvari) and Frisbee (Patrick Fugit) who seem to just want to hang around and get high. On one visit, the Cook's girlfriend, Nikki (Brittany Murphy) recruits Ross to take care of the Cook's transportation needs (Ross seems to be the only one of them who owns a car). Frisbee gets busted by the cops and is set up as an informant to get Spider and hopefully someone further up the chain.

The film is what I assume being on meth is like (I've never done it and have no urge to do it), it's fast paced at times, but seems to be intentionally slow at others. The director used quite a few clips of things that already happened, hallucinations and animation to show what is going on. Sometimes directors go overboard with these techniques, but here it really works. You feel like these things are happening in the characters' heads and that they're on a roller-coaster. What really makes this film work is the cast. This is definitely an ensemble. In addition to the actors I already mentioned; Deborah Harry plays Ross' lesbian neighbor, Rob Halford of Judas Priest plays the porn shop clerk, and Billy Corgan plays a doctor. Eric Roberts makes an appearance as the Man (the Cook's boss), and Pete Stormare and Alexis Arquette as a pair of cops who want to bust the meth ring.

I really enjoyed this film, but it is a trip. After watching it, you feel strung out.

In the genre of "drug films" this one has to be, in my opinion, one of the best. The aesthetics and dynamics are spot on. The gritty, filthy and discordant atmosphere encrusted around the typical meth-head's life looks and feels like the real deal here. John Leguizamo and Mena Suvari are dead on in their portrayals of two dysfunctional people in a relationship mixed with sex, love and drugs (or more appropriately, love FOR drugs). Mickey Rourke's character conveys a menacing presence delivered through the actor's characteristic cool and laid back style. Of course Brittany Murphy's character is a continuous delight and pleasure to behold in every way. Even the police presence is entertaining.

The whole package gives the feel of being right there. Not to mention a "healthy dose" of delusional hallucinations for you to chew on in between heart palpitations. If you're looking for a great "druggie" film with a strong comedic undertone, I guarantee you'll get your fix with this one.

I Love this movie, A lot of people might dismiss it as needless strange or, worse, unnecessary. It is great, because it humanizes drug addicts. it shows that a speed freak is never just a speed freak, but a person with a life in distress. too often people with drug addictions are dismissed as eyesores or vagabonds who deserve harsh treatment, but the movie takes us into their lives. Most Importantly, the characters are not supposed to be heroes, they are just a cross-section of junkie culture. plus, the scenes with the cops are hilarious, and seeing Debbie Harry throw a six-pack at a guy's head and then kick him in the gut was priceless. To review, deals with oft over-looked subject matter in an objective way, some great cameos, imaginative film-making, I give it an A-Plus.

This movie is a realistic portrayal of the meth lifestyle, not because it's a realistic movie, but because it's a bunch of tweakers very busy doing nothing. My friend and I laughed during the whole movie because we both knew people who fit the characters in the film perfectly. If you don't know anyone into drugs this movie probably won't appeal to you. The moviemakers get a lot of facets of the lifestyle spot-on, like the importance of the car. The main character is the most important person in the movie, even more important than the cook, because he's got a car. A lot of the movie is spent driving around on various crank-related missions, most of them pointless. And that's really what being a crankster is about, getting high for the sake of getting high and finding ways to fill all that extra time they now have. If the characters come off as blunted and one-dimensional it's because that's how the people they're portraying are.