Spun (2002)

Plot Summary: A hyper-edited, dark-comedy journey through three chaotic days in the lives of a young speed freak, a local drug dealer, and a quirky cook operating a mobile meth lab.

Director: Jonas Åkerlund
Producers: Timothy Wayne Peternel, Chris Hanley, Fernando Sulichin, Mark Mower
Screenplay: Will De Los Santos, Creighton Vero

Starring:
Jason Schwartzman as Ross
John Leguizamo as Spider Mike
Brittany Murphy as Nikki
Mickey Rourke as The Cook
Mena Suvari as Cookie
Patrick Fugit as Frisbee
Peter Stormare as Cop #1
Alexis Arquette as Cop #2
Debbie Harry as Neighbor

Music: Billy Corgan
Cinematography: Eric Broms
Editing: Jonas Åkerlund

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⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️

A Hyperactive Descent Into Meth Chaos

Second film of the week with John Leguizamo, where he's not the main actor as I thought, but in any case, he has an important role and a lot of screen time. The film begins with Ross (Jason Schwartzman) knocking on Spider Mike's (John Leguizamo) door to get his fix and ease his hangover. The shit is, Spider Mike doesn't know where he left the drugs and probably lost them. Spider Mike's crackhouse is a bona fide den of drugs, degradation and confusion. Here we are quickly presented with a speedy film full of image tricks that try to bring us closer to the mental state of a methamphetamine addict. That kind of drug that's cut with supermarket products, and produced in sleazy motel rooms. I would say that this film is kind of a mix between Pulp Fiction, Snatch and Trainspotting for its black humor, characters and editing style.

Hi, Freddy! The second film starring John Leguizamo cheered me up as methamphetamine invigorates all the characters for an hour and forty minutes, and I went to bed under the impression. The feeling of pity for people addicted to this drug, whose life is a kind of "marathon" from dose to dose, prevailed in me. The film traces a clear idea of what can happen to people who have lost the most precious thing in the world - love. Someone love for his girlfriend, someone for his child, someone for his mother.

Stylish Editing, Wild Performances, and Story Problems

I didn't know the director of the film and I found it curious that he was the director of practically all of Madonna's music videos from 1998 onwards and loads of other pop and even metal artists like Rammstein. Another surprise of this film was the number of cameos by some celebrities, such as Blondie, who plays the lesbian neighbor of Ross, Billy Corgan with a blonde wig playing a doctor, Rob Hardfold from Judas Priest working in a porno shop and Ron Jeremy working behind a counter in a strip bar.

This movie is fast and furious but ends up going nowhere and falling flat. Like the drug it represents, you will be awake because everything moves so fast. You will eventually crash, come down and understand that everything that happened was kind of pointless and without substance. There are a lot of questionable choices that don't help with the story, like why would Ross tie up his prostitute girlfriend, or why would Mickey Rourke kill himself in the end? The writing is not great and the actors are definitely responsible for saving this movie.

Mickey Rourke's character and acting was my favorite and John Leguizamo comes right behind him. From the previous movie we watched (The Pest), to this role was a huge improvement. I would have preferred not to see Spider Mike masturbating into a sock, but hey, that scene was kind of funny and I've enjoyed the drug-fueled erratic behavior of his character the most.

This film, in my opinion, beats all records in terms of the number of cuts. Not a single frame  lasts more than 3 seconds. But this did not annoy me, on the contrary, it immersed me more in this whole trash drug story. The bedridden stripper also remained an issue for me. Only God knows what the heck happens in a drug addict's head. The rest of the story  looks solid to me. The actors involved in this film put their souls in it. John Leguizamo perfectly conveyed a drug dealer with a shattered nervous system. For Mina Suvari, this film was an excellent therapy for stagnation in one role. Here she is not a big-eyed barbie girl. She is in washed-out pajamas, with bruises under her eyes and disgusting teeth. Mickey Rourke in the form of an amateur chemist - in those big glasses and a headset - is great. 

Final Verdict: Fast, Ugly, and Strangely Addictive

Spun is a highly stylized movie and even if not the most original thing ever, I enjoyed the pinpoint pupil images, cartoon bits from Ross's mind and the fast forward movements after a meth hit. The movie also has an excellent soundtrack picked by Billy Corgan and if you like drug movies, this is one time worth watching.

Spun turned out to be fast, sharp, sometimes chaotic and at the same time lyrical. This work by Jonas Åkerlund is an excellent excursion into the vile world of fast drugs. I advise all parents to watch this film with their children. To show and teach how not to live.

Freddy's Score

59/100

Krasnaya's Score

65/100

FINAL SCORE

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