Oxy-Morons

Welcome to Charlestown, Boston (Ben Affleck's "Town" from the eponymous feature film), a place where the local "custom" of auto theft, robbery, and armored car heists are passed down from father to son and the locals don't talk to cops. Your average, which is to say normal American town has losing your virginity as a rite of passage. In Charlestown, you must commit auto theft before graduation. Allegedly. Nice place, huh?

Oxy-Morons is an indie crime drama starring David from Real World Seattle and the writer who lived it. The guy is a crook! That's what makes it realistic. It's a classic (typical?) redemption story, albeit there may have been some recidivism in real life.

This film tackles the issue from a social realist perspective, and touches on racism. The plot follows the crimes and punishment of an OxyContin addict, tracing the origins of the pill epidemic in Mass from the time it hit the market. This film is better than Reservoir For a Dream or Rush. There are lots of characters. The mother is a superb character actress also seen in Grownups 2.

The accents are real, the story is based on true events, and the settings are on location. They filmed some scenes in an abandoned prison.

What I liked about this film is the high level of realism, as compared with the vast majority of crime dramas. The anti-hero protagonist is an addict. This is what drives him to commit crimes, as in real life, rather than a swaggering outlaw or bigshot gangster like the rest of the crime pictures. Crime, like the addiction which begets it, is a bad habit, a compulsion. It's a way to make a quick buck for those at the end of their ropes. Oxy-Morons doesn't sugarcoat it. It's an epic tale.

This is a movie that should be shown to every high school in the United States of America. This had to be the first film to really put the oxy Cotton pharmaceutical people on blast and that's probably why this movie was hidden for so long. None of this movie touch on the collateral damage of drug abuse, but it also touches on racism in other matters. This movie was way ahead of its time. For a bunch of no-name actors, they did a pretty damn good job at some points almost felt like I was watching a documentary.

Really dark, raw and controversial the best kind of film out there. This movie gets 10 stars just simply for the Co message..

The movie focuses on the prescription painkiller oxycodone, and how it exploded on the streets 10 years ago, causing many people to become addicted and do whatever it took to get their fix. I have seen the power of this drug and how it has the ability to consume and even kill people. As the movie demonstrates, there is little an addict won't do to get their fix. It's amazing how so many pharmaceutical drugs are over prescribed, causing harm to and even killing so many people, yet marijuana is illegal. It's all about the FDA, drug companies, insurance companies, law enforcement, and $$$$$$$. In the movie, we see the pharmaceutical sales rep persuading the doctor to try this new miracle pill on her patients, and then we see the consequences when the drug is not respected. The film shows the dark side of what happened on the streets- addiction, greed, murder, betrayal, self-destruction, revenge, and misery. The plot is intricate yet highly believable. Some scenes were quite emotional and you couldn't help feeling empathetic for many of the characters, all of whom were a perfect fit for their respective roles. These guys were a real-life crew from Boston (Charlestown) who hustled and did what they had to do to get by. The only big name in the movie was Tim Sylvia (former UFC heavyweight champ) who obviously was believable as a member of the tough crew of oxy bandits. If you or any of your boys used to make plays for a living, or still do, this film is a must-see. If you've seen anyone in your life get bit by drug addiction, this film will really hit home. I'd say it was better than "The Town" as far as plot and action, and hopefully it gets the recognition it deserves despite the lack of advertising. I wish it was a half hour longer! In short- great idea for a movie, well-designed plot, outstanding action, and awesome soundtrack.

In the late 1990s Boston's streets were hit by a new drug that was seen as the gateway 'drug of choice' to heroin – this was Oxy-Contin and was an opiate based pain killer. It was designed to be a sow release pill and so had to be taken whole. However, if you interfered with it you could break it down and turn it into a 'get away from it all' drug in a matter of minutes. Enter an Irish American mother who has her boys who are low level criminals, they soon realise what they are on to and set about taking over the streets in a very 'in your face way'.

As with all drug pushers there is going to be violence, there is going to be profanity, there is going to be sex and there will be heartache. This does all that in spades and a bit more besides. It is wearing its message on its sleeve but we sort of don't mind.

The acting is actually mostly very good with some, non fatal, exceptions. The one thing that is an issue is the poor sound quality throughout and that is a production flaw. That lends itself to presenting this as a cheap presentation, which it most certainly is not. It is opinionated, it does have a story to tell and it can be gritty in the violence sense that that particular word is used. However, it is entertaining for most of the right reasons and will keep your attention right up until the last – so on that basis I can recommend.

Oxy-Morons has the most important message of any movie I've seen in recent years. The setting is gritty as is the language and the violence. Some people in the screening that I attended left early because they could not handle the graphic realism of it all. But let me tell you, if you sit through it you will be tremendously rewarded.

The acting is magnificent. Johnny Hickey was actually at the screening I attended and hearing him tell his story afterwards just made the movie that much better.

I really don't have the words to describe this movie. But all I am saying is take time out of your day to find a place to see this. The message of redemption at the end is completely satisfying.

Help get this movie out there. And be sure to leave the kids at home for this one...