Best films about drug use and addiction?

[luckyjimm]

Just saw French Connection. Good film, but it's not a drugs/addiction film any more than any other crime/cop thriller where the baddies happen to be dealing junk.

[ZeTurd]

lj,

For something a little different, you might want to try and look up Heroes for Sale. I'm reasonably sure it's the first movie ever produced that (seriously) deals with drug addiction. Directed by William Weldman (of Wings and The Ox-Bow Incident fame), it was released in 1933, and deals with hero's morphine addiction in a bleak setting during the Great Depression.

For something even weirder, you might want to look up some of the rather hysterical propaganda flicks that were released during the "drug scare" in the 60's. They won't be very educational, but they sure are entertaining! I've seen them labeled as "Classroom Scare Films" and they should be floating around the net in various places (if you know where to look, of course...) Speaking of propaganda flicks, you should really see Reefer Madness mentioned in your OP, along with Marihuana and Assassin of Youth (what a great title) from the same time period. Hilarious stuff!

[supafrey]

Reefer Madness is the most accurate depiction of drug use that I have ever seen. I, too, jump out of windows when I smoke the doob. Check it out freesource on Google Video, if you're interested.

[John Cole]

Oh, Blarg, Louis Cypher says a line that's right out of Oedipus: "How terrible is knowledge when it brings no profit to the wise." Both Oedipus and Harry Angel are searching for someone they find out is really they, themselves. (Even that ridiculous looking sun shade that Harry wears on the beach is reminiscient of a Greek mask that the actors in Greek tragedy would have worn.) And that sexy black girl was more than just a girl. You need to watch this again.

Oh, and one more: Chinatown when Faye Dunaway's character keeps getting slapped by Jack Nicholson for saying two different things that are really the same thing. (Avoided spoiler.)

[Number7]

Pusher 1

Trainspotting

Christiane F

These are really great drug movies imo.
Pusher 2 and 3 are no way as good as pusher 1 and should be seperated from this.

[4drugmoney]

I dont know if its been mentioned but candy was pretty good.

[g33z3r]

Christiane F. - Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (1981)

I have not seen that one in ages. I have mixed feelings about the movie since I did read the book prior to watching the movie. This does normally tend to ruin movies for me. Still enjoyed the movie though when watching it a few years later ...

I recommend the book over the movie - it outlines the family background and the living conditions of Christiane F much better. There is much more in the book than you can put in a approx. 90 min movie.

Do not expect fancy jokes or action like in trainspotting or the like. As LuckyJimm wrote: you have to take the time of the true story (late 70s I think) into account and basically it is about the downfall of Christiane F. and less about the "cool" stuff, which is more present at the beginning of a "drug career".

[Myrtle]

Try...... "The Man with the Golden Arm".

A 1950's view of heroine addiction.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048347/

[dcb777]

Rush was a great movie prob my favorite drug movie of all time.

[whiskeytown]

I don't know why, but for some reason, I immediately thought of "Bright Lights, Big City" - something about the upwardly mobile trying to hide their drug problems always made me smile -

but then my hero once shot straight bourbon and coke-cola into his veins - so what do I know...

RB