A great little film that shows up many of its larger-budget peers with its realistic depiction of drugs in New York City. We follow Gringo as he skates his way through the nightmarish drug dens that he calls home, all the time letting the viewer deeper into the mental and physical hell of his life.
Combining actual interviews with recreations of events from Gringo's life, Story of a Junkie achieves a level of realism and emotional impact that Trainspotting and its ilk cannot match. This is a truly dirty, depressing film that does not attempt to glamourise drugs. Its just a bunch of junkies trying to survive, but it works very, very well.
It's really great that Troma have released films like Story of a Junkie that would otherwise have been forgotten. With its low budget and difficult subject matter, this is the kind of movie that can unfortunately fall between the cracks. As it is, viewers have the chance to watch this fine piece of cinema in their own homes, safely away from the filthy, drug riddled streets of mid-80s NYC.
