REVIEW: ‘Shooting Heroin’
Photo: Shooting Heroing stars Sherilyn Fenn and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs. Photo courtesy of press materials / Provided by Platform Media Group with permission.
Shooting Heroin, the new movie from writer-director Spencer T. Folmar, offers a direct, no-holds-barred commentary on the continued problem of heroin and opioid abuse plaguing so many American towns and cities. By envisioning a small community that tries to fight back and stop the drug-related fatalities, Folmar and his hard-working cast attempt to offer something new to say about the growing problem that has devastated so many families.
His results are mixed.
The movie feels the most authentic and heartfelt when dealing with the pain of losing someone to an overdose. There are three central characters who have all been indirectly touched by this drug — Hazel (Twin Peaks’ Sherilyn Fenn), Edward (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs) and Adam (Alan Powell). The three band together with the local (and often-drunk) police chief (Garry Pastore) and try to bring some awareness to the town and vengeance to the dealers who have made the locals into zombies. Cathy Moriarty (Raging Bull) and Nicholas Turturro (Blue Bloods) have small parts as well.
Up until this point, Shooting Heroin had me. I cared about the characters, felt the pain of their losses and the overall bewilderment that this tucked-away community was feeling when dealing with the drug issue. What Hazel, Edward and Adam decide to do in order to correct the problem confounded this reviewer. They speak at the local high school (OK). They paint billboards around town (uh-huh). They stop cars, and demand that people open their trunks and show that they don’t have drugs (hmmm). They sometimes resort to violence (and I’m gone).
The good ideas behind the film loses some of their focus in the second half, and what was intended to be an awareness movie about a serious issue devolves into a shootout thriller with a villainous character who hardly gets one minute of screen time.
Of the actors, I responded the most to Powell, whose character is greatly impacted by the drug because of the recent overdose death of his sister. He drowns some of his sorrow at a local pub, and the police chief is a dependable shoulder for him to cry on. It’s a believable performance and perhaps the anchor of the film.
The message of Shooting Heroin is heard loud and clear, and much credit should be given to Folmar and the company for so forthrightly conveying their thoughts and care. Through their art they are trying to address a brutal and deadly problem, which if not corrected will lead to more families wondering what happened to the good old days, when their children still had so many years in front of them.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Shooting Heroin (2020). Written and directed by Spencer T. Folmar. Starring Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Alan Powell, Sherilyn Fenn, Garry Pastore, Cathy Moriarty and Nicholas Turturro. Running time: 90 minutes. Rated R for drug content, and language throughout. Rating: 
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