Spun
(2002)
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Ross (Jason Schwartzman) is an addict badly in need of some speed. A visit to his dealer, Spider Mike's (John Leguizamo)--where fellow "tweakers" Nikki (Brittany Murphy)--a stripper, Frisbee (Patrick Fugit)--a metalhead, and Cookie (Mena Suvari)--Mike's girlfriend--turns into an odyssey, though, when Mike can't find his stash. Nikki tells Ross that her boyfriend, crazed cowboy The Cook (Mickey Rourke), can supply whatever he needs. The two of them visit The Cook at his motel lab, and Ross quickly gets his fix. Ross, however, is put into service as The Cook's errand boy and chauffeur, with only brief periods of freedom to check up on the stripper girlfriend he left tied to his bed back at his apartment. Ross' three days without sleep reaches a feverish head when it becomes evident that two cops (Peter Stormare and Alexis Arquette) have raided Spider Mike's pad in search of The Cook. |
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Swedish music-video director Jonas Akerlund made his first foray into feature films with this head-spinning affair. Part Requiem for a Dream, part The Salton Sea, it's a grimy tale of “spun-out” crystal meth users that's as hyperactive as its protagonists. Throwing together an eclectic cast that ranges from Brittany Murphy and a green-toothed Mena Suvari to Mickey Rourke and singer Deborah Harry, it takes a quirky and irreverent look at addiction and its consequences for junkie Jason Schwartzman and his misfit friends. The action unfolds over three days, during which time their dependency pushes them into increasingly bizarre situations. Frenetically shot, and with enough jump cuts and imaginative visuals to give viewers whiplash, the movie has cult cool written all over it. However, its lack of morality, cheap shock tactics and sewer-mouth script mean it really is an acquired taste.