Crisis

It's a noble effort, but like plans for a quick trip across the river to Montreal, "Crisis" never comes together.

It's not enough merely to tell stories about different aspects of how drugs impact society - the connections have to be stronger and the narratives have to go deeper that what Jarecki has provided here.

Its biggest crisis is that it's a thriller with no thrills.

The film juggles three main stories and more minor ones, and several end up going over the top...

Crisis feels like a lecture made up entirely of hypotheticals.

The tragedy associated with such stories could provide fertile territory, theoretically, for a good drama about what went wrong and who's ultimately responsible. That movie might get made someday, but Crisis isn't it.

While Crisis has shining moments that are effective, the film doesn't engage with the characters or invest in any emotional stakes to be worthwhile.

This is a high tension, slam bang story of the development of an opioid drug involving vicious drug dealers, corrupt corporations, and more, with fine performances.

Jarecki doesn't deliver a subtle film, and to a certain extent, it works.

It bites off so much it can chew that it chokes on it.