Dérapages

In my job as a guitar teacher, I come in contact with many kids who are at the place in their lives where they are very impressionable and often have a glamorized view of drug use. I have shown this movie to several kids as an example of how drug abuse can get out of control in a hurry and ruin lives. I point out that the main character, Tom, had no intention of becoming an addict, but before he knew it, he had become one, and it was a short ride to hell from there. This movie makes this point without seeming like a health class documentary. The kids I've shown it too seemed to get the message. I give this movie a high rating, if for no other reason, because it helps me to possibly save the kids from becoming what I myself had once been.

After Having huge expectations for Scorcese's "Bringing Out The Dead" I was somewhat disappointed. But where the hell did BROKEN VESSELS come from? This film is everything the other one promised to deliver but didn't. My brother sent me a DVD saying "This is the best Indie film of the year." The art work on the cover was dreadful. It looked like a stupid B horror film. The back of the thing had some awards listed and kudos for the actors. I watched it last night. What a ride! Who is Scott Ziehl? Who is Susan Traylor? And who is Todd Field? Field should have been nominated for this performance. I can only guess that the film went straight to video. Too bad more people won't see it. The film accurately depicted the decline of two young men into self delusion and drug abuse. Far better (dare I say) than "Trainspotting."

OK, the story here is some kind of cliche, but it is shot with style and also shows some good acting performances. It has some parralels with Trainspotting. The soundtrack is fantastic, also the photography. There is a bit of disappointment that such good elements are not used in more remarkable way. This movie really deserved better screenplay. Nonetheless, it is an event to watch. Strongly recommended.

This is a neat little movie with a lot of energy and control - it's not overly flashy or gimmicky and doesn't indulge in excessive Tarantino-aping; the Field character is truly sleazy, but the movie keeps everything within plausible limits of degradation and loss of control, so that his pull on London is easy to understand without losing moral perspective. It's a two-hander at heart, but through various secondary characters - especially Field's Gramps, a hopeless drug addict - it manages to carve out a plausible broader social base (even if you wonder how the guys ever manage to get through any of their shifts intact). Some of the specific exposition is tedious, or overly familiar and dutiful, or just marginally amusing, but the meat of it lies simply in colourful incident, and in that regard it has real panache and sense of character.

this film came out about the same time as "bringing out the dead". with all due respect to Martin and Nick-this is the movie they could have made if hollywood hadn't warped the way a story is told. style over substance. with that said-this is a tough film to watch. the performances are dead solid perfect. the voice over is a difficult device to pull off and it doesn't always work here, but... there was a truth that i wanted to watch play out.