Life of Crime 1984-2020

Incredible documentary. Maybe the rawest, unfiltered & emotionally charged films I have ever seen. This should be mandatory viewing in the education system. This will change the way you view addiction, the legal system & humanity as a whole, Jon Alpert's commitment to the project over a 35+ year period is something to be witnessed. How this is not getting the mainstream attention it deserves is beyond me, a truly must see film.

The documentary gives a very dramatic informative insight into the lifestyle of criminals in New Jersey and what they had to do in order to survive. It showed that once you get into a life of crime it is very difficult to get out of it regardless of your once normal life.

For someone who wasn't even born in the 80s or 90s; it's fascinating to see what life was like in New Jersey back then.

I recommend y'all watch this beautiful time capsule of a docu movie.

This has to be one of the most saddest documentary Iv seen..I never realized so many children grew up the way I did,and have the same exact outcome..watching this brought back so many bad but real life memories..my mom passed away in March from an overdose,so this documentary was pretty much about her life and how she lived it...it's devastating .

Viewed via a virtual screening at DocNYC. Jon Alpert's seminal works One Year in a Life of Crime (1989) and Life of Crime 2 (1998) set the standard for the gritty documentaries HBO used to produce and set the tone for addiction docs that are prolific in the age of the internet. Following the lives of thieves and drug addicts in Newark, New Jersey, they were shocking and incredibly candid fly-on-the-wall documentaries. I was given both films in the 1990s on a VHS tape and have returned to them regularly over time, with Life of Crime 2 featuring one of the most haunting final shots I've ever seen in any film. The new production Life of Crime 1984-2020 acts as both a "greatest hits" of the first two films and a sequel catching up on the subjects. The first hour is essentially a condensed version of parts 1 & 2, but hardcore fans will still want to watch for the extra footage from those earlier shoots. The second hour catches viewers up on the whereabouts of Freddie, Rob, and Deliris post-1998. Again, it is harrowing peek into the mind of addicts, the cyclical nature of addiction and the ripple effect it has on the addicts' families. It gets very dark and I would warn viewers that one fate is particularly gruesome. Some may argue Alpert's motives, but I feel he always liked this trio and this is a fitting, if tragic, end to their relationship.

This must watch documentary depicts the life of these people in such a raw and real way.

It really helps viewers understand and empathize with the heartbreaking reality of drug addicts.

I highly recommend this film.