| Boomer Media Review |
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THE PANIC IN NEEDLE PARK
Fox/Widescreen
Some people who may not be of
the early 1970s New York City
grime/crime/angst/docu-drama film
watching persuasion might find
this gritty and very realistic drug
flick to be, well, disgusting.
But, if you like that sort of thing,
and/or have an open mind, this
1971 Al Pacino and Kitty Winn tour
de force about NYC heroin addicts
in need of a daily fix is a must.
Especially for Pacino fans, who
will note that Al in just his 2nd
major film is just perfecting that
crazy street walk of his, which is
basically a hop, skip and little
jump, along with a sway.
Of course we all know what
Pacino went on to do-and still
does-for 37 years, yet it would
seem to be a waste that an actor of
Kitty Wynn's caliber would sort of
fade out after this film.
Her performance as a lost girl
trying to find something/anything
in the mean streets is one of the
most honest you will see.
Yet after appearing in a rather
small part in the Exorcist in 1973,
Wynn drifted away from
Hollywood. Pity.
The Panic In Needle Park was shot
in NYC during a time when the city
was much funkier-and much more
dirty and dangerous, to boot.
Part of the aesthetic of this film is
revisiting that period of time in the
city of New York, and seeing
characters, cars, clothes, and
buildings that you can't see now.
Also of note is a screenplay
co-written by Joan Didion (Year Of
Magical Thinking) and Dominick
Dunne (Vanity Fair et al).
Definitely worth taking the time to
search out, and enjoy.
Fox/Widescreen
Some people who may not be of
the early 1970s New York City
grime/crime/angst/docu-drama film
watching persuasion might find
this gritty and very realistic drug
flick to be, well, disgusting.
But, if you like that sort of thing,
and/or have an open mind, this
1971 Al Pacino and Kitty Winn tour
de force about NYC heroin addicts
in need of a daily fix is a must.
Especially for Pacino fans, who
will note that Al in just his 2nd
major film is just perfecting that
crazy street walk of his, which is
basically a hop, skip and little
jump, along with a sway.
Of course we all know what
Pacino went on to do-and still
does-for 37 years, yet it would
seem to be a waste that an actor of
Kitty Wynn's caliber would sort of
fade out after this film.
Her performance as a lost girl
trying to find something/anything
in the mean streets is one of the
most honest you will see.
Yet after appearing in a rather
small part in the Exorcist in 1973,
Wynn drifted away from
Hollywood. Pity.
The Panic In Needle Park was shot
in NYC during a time when the city
was much funkier-and much more
dirty and dangerous, to boot.
Part of the aesthetic of this film is
revisiting that period of time in the
city of New York, and seeing
characters, cars, clothes, and
buildings that you can't see now.
Also of note is a screenplay
co-written by Joan Didion (Year Of
Magical Thinking) and Dominick
Dunne (Vanity Fair et al).
Definitely worth taking the time to
search out, and enjoy.