An Impressive Performance From A Baby Faced Pacino

The Panic in Needle Park and Midnight Cowboy were the first two films that whetted my appetite for late 1960s/early 1970s American cinema. What particularly fascinated me about these films was the unflinching portrayal of human beings living a grim existence amongst decaying landscapes and exploitative characters. Here Schatzberg focuses on a group of New York City heroin users, submerging you into their world of addicts, prostitutes and petty criminals.

One aspect that sets this film aside from contemporary works like Trainspotting is the rough and ready style of filming used and also the complete lack of a soundtrack or clever special effects. The impact is even more effective with close up shots of users shooting up and the characters, at the time, being more or less unknowns. Of course this is no longer true since Pacino is now a bona fide star (despite his poor recent output) and here he gives a stark and realistic performance has a habitual drug user. Whilst Pacino moved onto greater things, his co-star Kitty Winn unfortunately slipped off the radar, which is a shame given her persuasive performance here.

This is a genuinely powerful film and one that seems to have slipped by most of the movie viewing population. The lack of interest maybe due to the fact that the film is extremely bleak and times the plot can drag a little. However, if you are fan of 70s American cinema then I recommend renting this one, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. 3 and a half out of 5.