Crisis Intersects Three Lives Plagued By Opiod Abuse

When news hit that Michael Jackson had died from a Fentanyl overdose or when Prince was found in an elevator unconscious from the exact same drug, questions circled around doctors prescribing this drug and the ease at which it is readily available to not only celebrities, but housewives, teens or those seeking to cop a high by any means necessary. Opiod abuse is a constant, uncomfortable, and troubling issue that plagues America.  Over 100,000 people die from opiod overdose each year..  A figure that growsat over 200% annually.

Written, directed and produced by Nicholas Jarecki, Crisis investigates and shares three stories about the world of opioids as they collide –  a drug trafficker (Armie Hammer) who arranges a multi-cartel Fentanyl smuggling operation between Canada and the U.S., an architect recovering from an oxycodone addiction (Evangeline LIlly) tracks down the truth behind her son’s involvement with narcotics, and a university professor (Gary Oldman) battling unexpected revelations about his research employer, a drug company with deep government influence bringing a new “non-addictive” painkiller to market.  “We wanted to look at the opioid epidemic through three different lenses and ask how we got here, by dramatizing it and making it compelling.”  Compelling is exactly what Crisis becomes.

Although while watching, one is reminded of the hit film “Traffic,” yet it doesn’t detract from the trilogy of plots.  Watching Claire Reimann’s (Evangeline LIlly) face break down in the realization her son may be have been a user and having to identify his body in a morgue is hard to watch.  As a mother out for revenge, she is hellbent on discovering the truth by any means necessary.  When she does, the result is not one you see coming. Evangeline LIlly, Gary Oldman, Armie Hammer are all tremendously gifted actors whose characterizations in this film show the humanity, flaws and grit of the personalites they inhabit.   It’s a shame that Hammer’s personal shenanigans have overshadowed a career performance revealing a not so light, fluffy, devilishly handsome side.  However, all those gifts are wasted just a tad as the plot takes a minute to unfold with a script that is a little belabored and not really unveiling anything we haven’t already seen on film in regards to this subject.

Crisis is enjoyble with a few twists and turns that will make your jaw drop, but here’s something to think about.  While Klaralon is a fictional drug, new opiod products come to market every year and are diverted to the street leaving more Americans killed by an opiod overdose in the past two years than all the lives lost in the Vietnam war. Let that sink in.