Directed by: Nicholas Jarecki
Starring: Gary Oldman, Armie Hammer, Evangeline Lilly, Greg Kinnear, Lily-Rose Depp
Based on its generic title alone, Crisis is destined to be lost in the Redbox and VOD shuffle as another movie you can't quite recall if it played in theaters. The subject matter is worthy of examination and the cast is top-notch, but Crisis lacks juice. It feels warmed over when it should be scorching. Characters plead their cases about the state of the opioid epidemic and how the wonder drugs being developed only feed addiction further. This is potentially powerful material which inspires a meh response from the viewer.
Crisis tells three interlocking stories centering around addiction and drug trafficking. Dr. Tyrone Brower (Oldman) is under a deadline from a pharmaceutical company to rush clinical trials through for fast FDA approval on its anti-addiction drug. The trouble is: The drug actually spurs addiction instead of inhibiting it and is possibly fatal. Dr. Brower is mortified that the pharma company still wants to push forward despite the risks and blows the whistle. DEA undercover agent Jake (Hammer) is setting up a big sting of a drug cartel north of the border, but also deals with his own sister's heroin addiction. Recovering addict Claire (Lilly) suffers through the death of her son to drugs and goes looking for answers she may not want to find. The situations and arguments made are similar to the superior Traffic (2000) which covered a lot of the same ground with more grit and intensity.
The performances only take Crisis so far. There are plenty of reasons to care, yet I found myself at a distance. Crisis has a straight-to-VOD feel to it in every fiber of its being, which you wouldn't expect with this type of cast and this subject matter. I admit I saw this movie roughly two weeks ago and am only getting to write a review now (sorry), but I have trouble recalling the details except for the basic outlines. Perhaps this quandary is helping me write my review for me.
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