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movie review - Another Day in Paradise

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

This is a gritty American gangster movie about four junkies and their doomed relationships. The newcomers are actually the centre of the story - Woods and Griffiths are their older counterparts - two drifters playing out one more desperate hand. All the same, the performances they turn in are solid - it's difficult to believe that the tough, timeworn Griffiths turned in fluffy sexpot roles like the prostitute in Milk Money only three years earlier.

It's difficult to tell when this movie is set, let alone where. It's called the midwest, but it seems more like Oregon or perhaps Texas. The clothes are pretty much '70s/'80s, but that says little. The drugs are '90s, but the dialogue and slim contextual material are '70s. The result is a disconnection that keeps the focus on the story and its characters - quite the reverse of the recent trend to keep the retro soundtrack front and centre.

The fate of Kartheiser's teenage junkie remains in the balance until the credits are rolling. This one is definitely worth watching.

Recommended.