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.

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.

I'm torn with this. They invested all their money in the production and the story line was pretty good. Acting ok..... but the fakeness of the blood and some sceneces just killed it for me.

Stll ok for a b movie

6.1.

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...

This film hits the nail on the head. When oxy hit the scene, people didn't know what they were headed for. Oxycontin is the narcotic that caused pharmacies to be forced to lock up narcotics in a safe box. My wife worked at cvs for 19 years and she remembers when they started implementing safe boxes. This movie tells the true tale of what these bills from big pharm did to begin the destruction of society all for profit. The blood scenes are fake as hell but for a b movie, it rocks. Great job guys. Danny hickey is a real person who went through this nightmare and lived to tell the story. He was actually thrown off a cliff because the local dealers were mad at him for cutting into their profits. He came out of it a better man with a story that can save others.