Crisis (2021) Movie Drinking Game
Do a Shot: every time someone says ‘Tyrone’.
Do a Shot: every time someone says ‘Mother’.
Take a Drink: every time someone dies.
Take a Drink: when you try to figure out which crew member or Armie wanted Armie in Ryan Gosling’s coat from Blade Runner.
By: Movie Snurb (Four Beers) –
Crisis is a 2021 film that takes aim at the Opioid Epidemic in this country. It takes place in Detroit and Quebec, Canada. It follows three different storylines of people effected by the epidemic. Armie Hammer is a DEA agent attempting to bring down people smuggling fentanyl into the US. Evangeline Lilly is an architect and recovering addict whose son is murdered, so she sets out to find why her son was killed. Lastly, Gary Oldman plays a university professor who does independent testing for a pharmaceutical company. In a test he runs he finds contradictory information on the pharma company’s new drug that is supposed to be a new non-addictive pain killer.
A Toast
Like several recent films like Promising Young Woman, Never Rarely Sometimes, Always, Queen & Slim, Blindspotting and many others, more films today are tackling important social issues of the day. Crisis attempts to tackle the Opioid Epidemic, which is admirable and needed in these times. Opioids are killing at alarming rates, and have now killed more people than were lost in the Vietnam War. There are some excellent docs showcasing this epidemic; one from a few years ago is called Heroin(e) from Netflix. It was a doc short following three different women dealing with the Opioid Crisis. It’s fascinating and horrifying in equal measure. So, the subject matter is timely and important.
The quality of the film is great; it looks really good, especially the snowy Canadian mountains. The acting elevates this film. Gary Oldman is great as always; even when I have certain issues with his character I’ll mention later, his performance is very good. Evangeline Lilly is great, having to slide between happy, sad, angry, and worried. She really reaches the full spectrum of emotion. Armie Hammer is decent as well. I feel like his character has the least to do of all the main characters. The performances elevate what would’ve been a rather bland film.
Beer Two
From the set up this film sounded like a modern-day Traffic. The only thing is that Traffic was an in-depth look at the War on Drugs and how that war is not working and how some can benefit from it and most don’t. Crisis wants to be a deep look at the Opioid Epidemic, but it’s really a shallow look at the crisis. It has nothing to say. It doesn’t look at anything deeper than on the surface. It so badly wants to be our Traffic, but it doesn’t come close.
Traffic, this is not.
Beer Three
I don’t think the pacing was bad, but I was bored with the film. I knew where every storyline was going. What is terrible is yes, this subject needs to be tackled, but it needs to be told in an engaging and in-depth manner. Because this film has nothing to say or decided not to look at why this is happening and what needs to be done about it; it’s more interested in being a run and gun film with Hammer undercover. I would seek out some great docs about the subject instead.
Beer Four
Maybe this is more of a nitpick rather than actual film criticism, but Gary Oldman’s character is named Tyrone and he’s married to a woman half his age who is pregnant. Gary is far too old for this character. Every time he is with his wife or someone calls him Tyrone it took me out of the film.
Say hello to Tyrone, a man who is about to be a first time father.
Verdict
Crisis is a film about a timely subject matter, but it unfortunately falls flat with nothing important to really say.
