User Reviews

Crisis is one of these films with multiple storylines and characters that at a certain point will all meet. The topic itself has a good intention; addiction to oxy and fen is not something to be taken lightly. So kudos for trying to show a big part of the problem and its branching repercussions. But the writing could have been so much better adding more depth into the characters' stories, delving into addiction and also could have given us a much more concise and gratifying ending. Some more realism would be good, especially on the conversations of Armie and the Armenians; that part was not convincing and looked very sloppy. There are many things that could have been better here, but if you want to see this film with a not-so-critical-eye, maybe you will be interested. It is not a boring film and will keep you invested for most of the time. 5,9/10

Well made, good pace and a decent watch. The casting is somewhat odd, not that the acting is bad it's just that different actor's would have fulfilled the characters better. Is there anything new? Well no, it has been done before but it is a good movie and passed the time nicely.

Got news for everyone, this is exactly what happens. Big Pharma buys studies via funding universities and the members in the FDA and CDC move from executive positions in Big Pharma, Ag companies in and out of the FDA and the FDA approves things based on money for Big Pharma, Ag. They lay it out in a movie and people defend them saying don't attack Big Pharma. These are corrupt companies that laughed about the people dying of opioids and all the other toxic crap they make. Good story. I enjoyed it.

If you liked the movie crash or traffic you'll definitely like this movie. It's filmed very well with good acting and with a great cast. It's worth the 2 hour watch time I highly recommend it. Probably one of the better movies so far in 2021.

Very good, good acting, good story telling, good story. I adore serious films that actually make one realize the seriousness of the story, and this is one of those. Well worth watching - for people not looking for cheap action.

As a comment in the end credits states, more people die from opioid abuse every two years than all those who died in the Vietnam war.

This movie depicts a fictional story which could easily be true. Across the USA-Canada border, which has no walls, a small DEA group is setting up a drug deal to entrap the head guy, called "Mother". Meanwhile a lady architect's son is found dead, and a college professor doing drug effectiveness and safety valuations is pressured to suppress his result that show it may not be safe.

Filled with good actors and presented well, a good movie. At home on DVD from my public library, my wife skipped.

...certainly not as good at the shill high reviews. The casting was great with decent performances, especially Oldman and Lilly who shined, and the (based on true events) story is certainly not your typical fare. I'm glad it wasn't "Hollywood-ish".

Young newb filmmaker Nicholas Jarecki produced, directed, wrote and cast himself in this interesting story that lacked the thrills one would expect from a drama "thriller". The intertwining stories had some plot and technical issues and could've been told with better continuity. But they did flow rather well.

His directing was good, but the somewhat slow pacing for the 118 min runtime felt dragged out. Some acts should've been paced faster, and some scenes either cut down or out. And he certainly could've directed some of his cast better. The score was good, but could've used a little more up-beat "thrilling" tones. But for a young newb filmmaker wearing that many hats, he did good.

The fact this was based on true events added shock value for the lack of great thrills, and thus made for a good watch. Would I recommend it? Yes. Would I watch it again? Probably not. It's a solid 7/10 from me.

Greetings again from the darkness. The best thrillers often interweave multiple story lines to create a complex web of detail for viewers to unwind. Writer-director Nicholas Jarecki (ARBITRAGE, 2012) serves up three story lines, all related to the current Opioid crisis. Although the film looks great and has a deep cast, we've seen most of this before and no new insight is provided in regards to the struggle. Instead, it's really standard thriller fare that never goes deep enough into any of the characters to make us care.

Armie Hammer (along with the recent personal baggage attached to him) stars as Jake Kelly, a DEA Agent who has worked undercover in hopes of exposing the Armenian-Canadian-American drug traffickers responsible for a significant portion of opioids crossing the border. Hammer spends the entire movie with an intensely furrowed brow that would likely inspire distrust amongst any potential drug syndicates.

In storyline number 2, Evangeline Lilly (Wasp in the ANT-MAN movies) is Claire Reimann, an architect and recovering drug addict, who is out for vengeance when her beloved high school athlete son is found dead with drugs in his system. The third segment features Oscar winner Gary Oldman (DARKEST HOUR, 2017) as Dr. Tyrone Brower, a science professor at a private Detroit university. He runs a drug-testing lab and faces a moral dilemma when questionable lab results for "the first non-addictive painkiller" puts people at risk, not to mention funding for his work.

Any one of these actors or stories could carry the weight of a movie, but when combined, they succeed only in crushing the entertainment value and tension level. Oldman's story is easily the most interesting. It addresses how Big Pharma gets new drugs rubber-stamped by funding otherwise cash-strapped labs and schools. There is also the skepticism involved with the drug-producer's influence over the supposedly independent FDA, and on top of all that, there is the ethical concerns of everyone putting the almighty dollar ahead of safety. Director Jarecki (the brother of Andrew Jarecki who directed the superb 2003 documentary CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS) kicks off the movie with a beautifully filmed, albeit brief, chase scene through the snowy Canadian forest. In fact, the camera work throughout is fine. It's really the overloaded script that prevents any of the stories or characters from clicking. Mr. Oldman seems to sense that he needs to overcome the lack of complexity in his story, and because of the effort, loses his usual reserved cerebral approach for which he's known.

Supporting work is provided by Greg Kinnear as the Dean willing to sacrifice ethics and friendship for money, Michelle Rodriguez as the DEA supervisor in a budget crunch, and Lily-Rose Depp as Jake's strung out sister. Also contributing are Indira Varma, John Ralston, Martin Donovan, Mia Kirshner, Kid Cudi, Michael Aronov, Luke Evans, and Veronica Ferres. The weakest link here is director Jarecki himself, who for some reason, thought he could play Jake's partner ... a role that would have benefited from a more refined actor.

The horrific effects of the Opioid crisis are known to most, and the film plays like a Wikipedia explanation for anyone who doesn't read or watch the news. Certainly not helping is the "Miami Vice" type score that accompanies many scenes, and the choppy editing that causes many scenes to fail. Better movies in this genre would include THE INSIDER (1999, ironically directed by "Miami Vice" creator Michael Mann) and Soderbergh's TRAFFIC (2000). The obstacles faced by whistleblowers, the importance of funding to academia, budgetary concerns for law enforcement, the tragic impact of drugs on families, and the systemic corruption that has fueled the epidemic ... all of these are touched on. It's just that it all seems too obvious. If somehow you didn't already know, the money-hungry don't play fair - whether they be drug dealers or drug companies. The film will hit theaters on February 26, 2021 and Digital and On Demand March 5, 2021

Don't be fooled by the negative reviews. It is an easy watch and thought provoking. I've seen better and I seen a lot worse.

This movie just pull's you in, I thought that any movie telling 4 different stories would make it confusing but it was just the opposite the stories flowed perfectly into each other and each story is excellent, enjoy

I thought this was very good, I will say in todays society it would be hard to find anyone to stand for what they really believe especially when there is $780,000,000.00 at stake. Yes I recommend it James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 3/11/2021

It tells three engaging stories that are equally engaging. The ensemble cast is pleasant to watch as well.

As "Crisis" (2021 release; 118 min.) opens, we are reminded the film is "Inspired by True Events". We find ourselves at the "US/Canada Border, 40 Miles South of Montreal", where a dope smuggler is trying to reach the US border, but he is intercepted by Canadian police. We shift to "Detroit, Michigan", where we get to know several DEA guys, speculating on how the Canadian police became aware of the smuggler. In a separate story line, we get to know Claire at an NA meeting, She has a 16 yr.old son. In yet another story line, we are introduced to the Big Pharma makers of Klaralon, a new pain killer that supoosedly is entirely non-addictive. At this point we are 10 min. into the film, but to tell you more of the plot would not only spoil your viewing experience, but frankly it'd be pretty much impossible to do...

Couple of comments: this is the new film from writer-producer-director Nicholas Jarecki, whose prior film, 2012's "Arbitrage", was an unexpected delight (starring a latter day Richard Gere in top form). Here Jarecki wants to bring an international opioids crime drama of the highest order. I regret to inform you sadly the film simply misfires, and for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the plot is byzantine in its complexity and frankly impossible to follow. After half an hour, I couldn't make heads or tails of it, leaving me frustrated and even annoyed. Who are the good guys? and the bad guys? are the DEA guys dirty? is the university reseacher dirty? Haven't a clue. I don't mind being led astray in a movie's script, but not when halfway into the film I truly have no idea what I'm watching. Then there are the acting performances. which are mostly sub-par, none more so than Evangeline Lilly (as the mother of the 16 yr. old). Watch her reaction to when she receives an update from the cops about her missing son. Utterly pathetic and completely unbelievable. Gary Oldman (as the university researcher) is a little better, but just barely. Armie Hammer and Greg Kinnear seem to be sleepwalking through it all. But not all is lost: the movie's photogtraphy is great, and there is a nice electronic score, courtesy of Raphael Reed. It's regretfully not enough to save the movie, which feels like a wanna-be "Traffic" drug drama for this day and age, but falls well short of that one.

"Crisis" opened in theaters a week ago, and I finally went to see it this weekend. The Friday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended surprisingly well: I counted a good 15 people, which is far more than the typical 5 to 10 attendants at most movies I've seen in these still ongoing COVID-19 times. The overall movieplex was eerily empty, though. I honestly don't know how movie theaters can operate profitably like that. All that aside, based on Nicholas Jarecki's involvement with this, I had high hopes for "Crisis" and hence I feel quite disappointed with this film. But of course don't take my words for it, and I encourage you to check it out, be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

Really enjoyed this. It is a good, thoughtful watch. Yes there are some foibles, but it doesn't detract from the overall story/ies. I think it is very poignant now, especially with all the new Covid vaccines rushing to market and you really have to ask yourself........ Anyway, a very good movie!

I don't think this movie is bad. It's well-made in a lot of ways with some good performances. But it's devoid of any intrigue. The thing that keeps you curious and makes you feel like you can't wait to see what happens next. It's nowhere to be found.

Additionally, it's trying to do 5 different things at once with none of them standing out. They are all rooted in the same issue, but it feels unfocused. Like 5 different short films of different tones and even genres. A crime thriller, a revenge flick, a family drama, a social commentary flick on the pharmaceutical industry, and a social commentary flick on addiction. It doesn't work.

I back the message 100% and I'm glad they're trying to bring attention to the issues. I just wish it was done better. (1 viewing, 2/5/2022)

I liked it better the first time when it was called Traffic.

This is a pale facsimile of that film. The the cast is great - no doubt, and some decent performances. But Hammer over plays his bit and the baddies don't quite seem legit to me.

I guess I was expecting more. Didn't find it.

Not the best film you'll find but it's pretty far from the worst. It follows multiple stories at the same time that will at some point cross over, which made me a little dubious at first but they pulled it off alright. The cast and the acting is great. Just think it needed a little more of something to keep you at the edge of your seat, that's what thrillers are meant for at the end of the day, isn't it?

A timely dramatization from the illegal street to the corporate office to government oversight of pharmaceutical drugs. Primarily the pain reducing category. Interestingly, there was a brief rationale presentation of the benefits of pain reduction (Not truly understandable by most until they experience it.) vs. The obvious negative which was the main focus of the storyline.

Well acted, but characters a bit stereotyped.

I believe the movie is trying to share the truth in the legitimate pharmaceutical world and how university researches, FDA, the pharmaceutical companies behave, decide and balance between public health and business.

Whenever the legit business doesn't take up certain supply, the underworld will.

Unfortunately the movie couldn't give a stronger impact on the message it is trying to convey.

The way that "Crisis" is constructed, it probably shouldn't be as high as 8/10 stars in my rankings. It utilizes the somewhat tired "seemingly unrelated plot lines that finally converge at the end trope" and is fairly melodramatic in all of them. Fortunately, the acting in each scenario is strong enough to carry the film to more-than-solid status.

For a very basic overview, "Crisis" follows three distinct stories, all related to the opioid drug crisis:

-Jake (Armie Hammer) is an undercover agent trying to set up an enormous bust of the primary opioid runners. -Claire (Evangeline Lilly), a former drug abuser herself, sees son David (Billy Bryk) unexpectedly caught up in that same culture and vows to get to the bottom of what is transpiring. -Dr. Brower (Gary Oldman), a teacher/chemist, notices that the final trials for a new, potentially non-addictive painkiller are ineffective and potentially dangerous. But fighting the FDA's approval proves to be an uphill battle every step of the way.

Eventually, those three plot lines converge under the writing and directorship of Nicholas Jarecki.

Though not something I can exactly put my finger on, there's a decent amount here that simply "doesn't work". Perhaps it is the over/melo-dramatic nature of the material, or the predictable story structure, or the seemingly lack of high production value support. Though Jarecki tackles a worthy issue, I'm not sure this is the effort that will 100% do it justice.

What "Crisis" does accomplish, however, is putting the right actors in the right rolls and letting them shine. Hammer's undercover cop is the perfect blend of confidence and terror. Lilly's emotion and resolve as the baffled and frustrated mother steals the show on multiple occasions (I wish this LOST alum was in more projects, as she is always so solid). Oldman--as usual--is his somewhat underrated yet spectacular self, allowed to emote wildly and monologue almost at will, two of his best thespian skills. So, while the overall setup/flow of the picture isn't perfect by any means, these acting performances make up much lost ground.

Overall, I enjoyed "Crisis" more than I thought I would, to be perfectly honest. Simply put, I was attracted to the film because of the cast, and that was the exact reason I left the theater satisfied.

It's not the common drug bust movie about heroin or cocaine, it tells the story of a new crisis, opioids! The was perfectly layed out into the whole perspectives, from manufacturing, couriers, dealers, clinical trials, victims and dea operations. Good story, but it lacks thrills and twists that will keep you seated for the whole thing. Better off as a TV movie or should have done a docu instead.