Life of Crime 1984-2020

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.

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.

Probably the most incredibly raw, emotional and tough to watch documentary in tv history. It is filmed beginning in 1984 and takes you on a 36 year journey following the lives of three people up until the year 2020. I can't stress enough the importance of this film as a tool to show troubled teens what will happen if they choose a life of crime and drugs. I had to take a moment on several occasions because it was so graphic and troubling. Fair warning: this is not for the meek. Watch at your own discretion but prepare yourself. HBO proving once again why they are still the premier premium service.

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 .

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).