Life of Crime 1984-2020

Very powerful, gritty documentary. God bless all the people involved and their families for allowing their lives to be so graphically captured. This is a human story, a lot more common than we think. Just tragic and incredibly moving. A must see for any empathetic and compassionate human being.

This is the final film in a trilogy of documentaries that was made over several decades. It follows three main people as they engage in small-scale crime, become addicted to drugs, do some prison time, break the cycle, relapse, and on and on in a distressing and depressing cycle.

As the title implies, events play out between 1984 and 2020, but the structure does warrant a disclaimer. The years between 1984 and 1998 were detailed in the first two Life of Crime films, which means that the first hour of this third film contains tons of footage that people who've watched the first two movies will have already seen.

I hadn't watched the first one in years, so I appreciated the 1980s years getting recapped, but I zoned out a little during the 1990s scenes, because I'd seen it all just hours beforehand. Because the first hour is a good recap, it might be worth just watching this final film for anyone interested in the series. Or for anyone who really doesn't want to miss anything, watch parts 1 and 2 (about three hours in total) and then skip the first hour of this two-hour documentary.

There's another disclaimer when it comes to watching this documentary: it's extremely confronting. The first two were tough to watch, but the scenes of drug use in this one were more graphic, and there's one very gruesome scene towards the end that's a difficult sight to comprehend. It's not there just for shock's sake, and serves a purpose, but it's very disturbing.

In covering so many years and showing all the cycles the subjects go through, this is definitely the most emotional of the bunch. I was willing to go easy on the recap-heavy first hour because of how brutally effective and well-made that second hour was, and how it made for such a strong ending.

All in all, these three films might be some of the best documentaries about crime, addiction, and the problems with many US institutions out there. It's hard but important viewing, and I don't think I'll forget it soon (even the comparatively less distressing first film stuck with me, and it's been about five years since I saw that one).

I've been an IMDB member for several years, seen and rated countless films and never been moved to write a review until now. My heart is simply broken after watching the ups and downs of the people we get to know in this documentary and bearing witness to the literal highs and lows that decide their fate. Early on I became somewhat irritated by the film-maker as he seemed to condone and almost egg on the subjects actions but I think as he matured (or perhaps his filmmaking did) he simply let their stories tell themselves, and that's when I found myself wholly invested and wishing to see a happy ending for these people. We got a painfully honest ending instead.

Paying special attention to the children involved and seeing their lives ripped apart by their parent's addiction is one of the toughest parts to witness. They deserved to grow up without recognizing track marks or staying up late every night wondering if their loved one will return. This film will stick with me for days and is highly recommended even though it becomes very tough to watch.

*Note: as another reviewer pointed out there are some extremely graphic scenes involving one of the film's subjects, so be warned to turn away and perhaps just listen during that portion.

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.

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 .