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Top 10 Best Drug Movies

By Jim Patterson · August 15, 2013

Addiction sucks.  Addiction to anything sucks, whether it’s crystal meth or Kit-Kat bars.  Most movies related to addiction are bummers, because of this simple fact, but every now and then a comedy sneaks in there.  This list of drug movies tries to encompass all of those, but there is simply no way around it — addiction sucks.  Except for the rich guys supplying the addictions, I guess.

But what constitutes a “drug movie”?  That was the question I kept asking myself when I was tasked with writing this list.  Ultimately, it came down to “the main character is a drug”.  Something like Scarface, to me, doesn’t count as a cocaine movie, despite the copious amounts of white powder castles, because Tony Montana is the main focus of the film (plus I already wrote about it in Best Gangster Films, so there).

So these are what I consider the top movies where I would say the main focal point of the film is a drug – weed, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, etc.  As always, there’s some that just missed the list — A Scanner Darkly, Maria Full of Grace, Spun, Easy Rider, and Blow.  And then there’s Billy Wilder’s Lost Weekend, which I’ve heard is the best movie out there about alcoholism, but unfortunately I simply couldn’t find the damn movie in time in order to watch it.

10. Reefer Madness (1936)

“But that movie is terrible!” you may very well be saying.  And you’d be right — Reefer Madness is one of the most poorly made and executed films of all time.  But therein lies it’s appeal.  Much like the other Great Bad Movies, like Birdemic, Troll 2, or The Room, Reefer Madness was a dramatic film made with upmost, serious intentions, and falls so spectacularly on its face that it accidentally became a side-splitting comedy.  The filmmakers of Reefer Madness simply wanted to make a terrifying propaganda film to dissuade anyone (especially teenagers) from smoking pot.  What it wound up doing was creating a cultural milestone of over-the-top insanity.

The story of Reefer Madness is familiar, because it’s been so frequently spoofed.  A bunch of young hoodlum’s take some of the “evil plant” and suddenly become psychotic, obsessed with rape, and insanely murderous.  The speed of these symptoms is funny enough as it is, but to watch these actors suddenly go from Jimmy Do-Good to Hannibal Lecter because of a puff of weed is among the silliest things you’ll likely see.  Reefer Madness is a truly horrible movie, there is no denying that.  But as a window into the fear of weed in the 30’s, it’s highly educational, and as an unintentional comedy, it’s invaluable.  And remember — “Tell Your Children!!!”

9. Traffic (2000)

A sprawling modern epic, Traffic was a film that barely impressed me by the time I’d finally seen it (after it’s many Oscar wins), but it grows in appreciation over the years.  Looking back on it, you may find yourself wondering how it won Best Director and Best Screenplay, among others, but remember that the year 2000 was just about the worst for films ever (among the other nominees were Chocolat and Erin Brockovich…yikes).  At its best times, though, Traffic provides a relatively searing indictment on the drug world, as well as America’s war on drugs, and it’s a wonderfully acted hyperlink movie.

Starring Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Benicio del Toro, and almost a dozen more, Traffic contains several wonderful performances, and while the script by Stephen Gaghan maybe shouldn’t have bested Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, it does contain a lot of realistic and gritty dialogue (Douglas’ television confession at the end being the best).  It’s not a perfect movie, but it’s one of the better drug-related films of the new century.

8. Every Cheech and Chong Film (1978 and on)

Picking your favourite Cheech & Chong movie is kind of like picking your favourite “Ernest Goes To…” movie.  You know they’re all horrible, but some are more enjoyable, and funny, than the others.  My personal fave of the famous pot-heads is probably Up in Smoke, their first and greenest hour.  But there are moments to be had in all of their work; things you know aren’t very funny, but you can’t help but laugh anyway, if for no other reason than the duo has an unmistakable passion for getting high and trying to make an audience snicker at them.

Their schtick was usually pretty simple; two middle-aged men smoke an incredible amount of pot, then wacky shenanigans ensue.  Up in Smoke’s opening fifteen minutes, where the men compare the sizes of their joints, are among the most ridiculously funny things I’ve ever seen.  Cheech & Chong’s style of humour probably means you have to at least have some knowledge about the weed smoking community, but I don’t think it’s something only stoners can find enjoyable; the men are entertainers, first and foremost, and the cannibus is just their brand of comedy.

7. Candy (2006)

This underrated and barely-seen drug drama from Australia showcased Abbie Cornish and Heath Ledger at their finest.  Once Ledger tragically died from sleeping-pill complications, the first thing I thought of was Candy; a heartbreaking character study about two young lovers who wind up destroying and losing everything they have because of their addictions (a theme that will be frequently seen on this list…let’s face it, there aren’t too many upbeat drug movies involving anything other than weed).  Ledger is incredible in this movie, true, but we already knew his talents from Brokeback Mountain and Dark Knight; the real surprise is Cornish, who doesn’t get these juicy roles too often.

Candy is a bit of a downer, and the ending will make it difficult for your tears to stay inside you.  The movie was also rather over-looked during its quick release, and probably only got a DVD release in North America at all because of Ledger’s rising star.  But it’s a testament to the filmmakers that the movie is more than “just” a Heath Ledger film, and it’s also a testament to how brave the actor was to take on a role like this one, where there isn’t a glamorous shot throughout.

6. Dead Ringers/Naked Lunch (1988 and 1991)

I couldn’t separate either of David Cronenberg’s bizarro drug films; both were obviously directed by the same man, around the same time, but both are also horribly depressing, shockingly grisly, and morbid to the extreme.  As evidenced by some of the choices on this list, I have no problems with sad movies, but Dead Ringers in particular left me in such a weighty mood of despair, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to watch it again.  These two films are connected to me in the sense that both show the absolute degradation and de-evolution of life that results from an intense drug addiction, and Cronenberg doesn’t shy away from the madness often associated with it.

Naked Lunch, the lesser of the two films, showcases Peter Weller as an author addicted to a mysterious black sand-like substance, who then hallucinates (or does he?) about his typewriter turning into a talking vagina-bug, etc.  It’s obtuse as hell, but also compulsively watchable.  Dead Ringers is a more straight-forward story about Jeremy Irons (playing twin brothers and doing a wonderful job) who is a surgeon that becomes hooked on prescription pills.  Both movies are dark and often horrifying, but the ending of Ringers, which watches the two brothers lock themselves in a room and spiral into madness and death, still disturbs me to this day.

5. Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

One of the most depressing films about alcohol addiction I’ve ever seen, Leaving Las Vegas firmly planted Nicholas Cage in the A-list (because yes, there was a time he was considered a very serious, and wonderful, actor).  He won an Oscar for his performance, and rightly so; he’s never been better than playing Ben Sanderson, a depressed alcoholic who spends all his money on booze and a hotel room in Las Vegas, determined to drink himself to a suicidal death.  He meets a prostitute played by Elizabeth Shue, and they fall in love…kinda…but his addiction (to both booze and death) is too powerful.

Mike Figgis’ flick (who wrote, directed, and composed the score) is a downer, there’s no doubt about it, and some of the later scenes are almost so harrowing, it’s tough to watch the screen.  But Cage is the real reason to see the film.  His performance is incredible; watch his hands shake as he stands in a bank, waiting desperately for money so he can go drink some more.  Alcohol addiction has rarely been given this serious, studied, and devoted a treatment.

4. Pineapple Express (2008)

I first saw Pineapple in theatres about 30 minutes after Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder, and I’m not sure if I ever had a more hilarious double feature in my life.  David Gordon Green’s first big-screen foray into stoner comedy was also his most successful (Your Highness and The Sitter didn’t do so hot), and James Franco has rarely done better than his droopy-eyed pot dealer here.  The wacky comedy features Franco and Seth Rogen in a buddy-road-trip kind of movie, except this one has hilariously twisted chase scenes/shoot-out’s, a great visual style (courtesy of Green and his longtime cinematographer) and more weed than you can shake a pipe at.

Despite some of the other examples on this list, nothing about Pineapple is supremely artistic or full of merit; it’s a silly stoner comedy in the best tradition, except that this time, non-pot-head’s can enjoy and laugh at it too.  You don’t have to be baked to watch the flick, and indeed it’s one of my favourite comedies of the last few years, sober or not.  If you haven’t yet seen the movie, simply Youtube the B&W opening featuring Bill Hader as a soldier who is “experimented” on with weed.  If the line “I feel like a big pile of flapjacks” doesn’t make you laugh, nothing in this film will.

3. Narc (2002)

Joe Carnahan’s little-indie-that-could is a great success story.  It was only his second major feature, and it was such a big festival hit it wound up being picked by Tom Cruise’s company for distribution, and championed by filmmakers like William Friedkin.  Carnahan has since gone on to an eclectic career, of films ranging from ridiculous (Smokin’ Aces), ludicrous (A-Team), and stupendous (The Grey).  But Narc may still be his greatest film; a cold, dark, dreary cop drama investigating the world of drugs and undercover officers that can also become corrrupted and destroyed.

Carnahan writes and directs intently and intensely, rarely letting the viewer come up for air.  Many of his tricks (rapid-fire cuts, bleached out footage, etc) have now become a staple of shows like CSI, and therefore have become a little dated.  But the story is timeless, and the script is peppered with wonderful moments and surprisingly intricate dialogue.  Ray Liotta gives his best performance as the tough-as-nails (and possibly evil) police chief heading an investigation alongside Jason Patric, also never better.  I’m aware that this movie possibly stretches my initial rule of “drugs must be the main character”, but it’s such an underrated movie it hasn’t even come out on Blu-Ray yet, so I felt the need to act as the cheerleader for it.

2. Trainspotting (1995)

Danny Boyle is one of those really “love him or hate him” filmmakers, because his style is so in-your-face.  Either you enjoy this penchant for exuberant and frequently excessive visual trips, blending Tarantino-esque pop music with Scorsese-infused camera work….or you hate every second of it.  Myself, I find Boyle one of the more consistently engaging filmmakers of recent years, and after seeing him speak openly and humbly at TIFF after the premiere of 127 Hours, I also think he’s just a damn good guy.  Trainspotting was the film that put him on the map, and rightfully so; even to this day, it’s one of the top 5 quintessential 90’s movies.

Trainspotting features excellent performances by Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, and a group of Scottish actors who have done other high-profile work, but will always be known (to me, at least) as Sick Boy or Spud.  The plot isn’t insanely complicated – a group of junkies get hooked on heroin and devote their lives to getting high, trying in vain to clean up, and commit crimes.  The film has its share of bleak and depressing moments (although none come anywhere close to my #1 choice), but for the most part Trainspotting is just plain fun to watch, a very dark black comedy with a mad-cap visual flair.  It forever changed the way I looked at Scottish bathrooms, Iggy Pop, and heroin.

1. Requiem For a Dream (2000)

I still remember the first time I ever saw Darren Aronofsky’s hallucinatory, nightmarish epic.  I was at the age where I had just only started being allowed to watch R-rated movies, then we got a free month’s subscription to the IFC channel, and I could start seeing all these movies I read about in Roger Ebert books.  I taped Requiem one night, then crawled out of bed really early the next Sunday morning to watch before my parents got up and saw what it was I was staring at.  So I watched it.  Then the end credits rolled, and I just sat there, my eyes wide, my whole body clenched, and I went through the whole end credits before sobbing uncontrollably.

Putting it simply, Requiem is one of the most powerful films ever made.  It goes beyond the genre of “drug” movie and into the highest realm of cinematic art.  It’s disturbing, violent, depressing, sad, shocking, moving, horrifying.  If you’ve seen it once, then you know you will never shake it from you.  Aronofsky possibly made better films (an argument can be made for his brilliant paranoia thriller Pi, or his misunderstood masterpiece The Fountain), but Requiem was an emotional gut-punch, a visual and aural marvel.  From a story standpoint, it’s heart wrenching (we simply follow 4 addicts of various drugs descend into Hell).  As a filmmaking standpoint, it’s unbelievably impressive; the repetitive cuts (spoofed in stuff as mainstream as The Simpsons), the de-saturation of colours, the use of Snorricam, the shattering music of Clint Mansell.

Everything about Requiem is a masterstroke, and I truly believe it deserves placement on any list of great films, drug-related or otherwise.  It’s so difficult to watch that I rarely ever can sit through it, but hey, that’s also the case with Schindler’s List, and not too many people are denying the power of that little film.  Requiem For a Dream deserves comparison with it, too.  An incredible achievement.

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