Dopesick Review: Michael Keaton Recounts The Opioid Crisis In A Touching Ensemble Drama

Director: Danny Strong

Cast: Kaitlyn Dever, Michael Keaton, Will Poulter and Michael Stuhlbarg

Streaming Platform: Disney+ and Hulu

Ratings: 4/5 (four star) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

The opioid crisis is an all-American phenomenon about which very little is known in Italy. Thanks to the tenacity of journalist Beth Macy and the foresight of actor, director and screenwriter Danny Strong, now comes a series to tell the origin of the invisible war that has so far left almost 850,000 victims on the field. As our review of Dopesick – Statement of Addiction reveals from November 12 on Disney+ with the first three episodes, Danny Strong has decided to tackle this phenomenon that haunts the United States, concentrated mostly in the areas of the Midwest and the Rust Belt, relying on the non-fiction book published by Beth Macy in 2018, Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America. The report, the result of six years of research, surveys and interviews in rural and mining areas of Virginia, accurately documents the addiction to opioids, which spread like wildfire in the region following the marketing of the painkiller OxyContin by the company. Pharmaceutical Purdue Pharma.

Adapting Dopesick’s investigation for the small screen required courage and a solid narrative idea. In eight episodes, Danny Strong builds a lucid puzzle that mixes different time frames trying to embrace the issue from all angles. At the heart of the story is the investigation carried out by Virginia prosecutors Rick Mountcastle and Randy Ramseyer in the early 2000s which will allow for the first legal case against Purdue Pharma to be mounted, arriving at a plea deal in 2007. In addition to that, Danny Strong and the production team bring together a very high level cast that involves Michael Keaton also executive producer of the show, Rosario Dawson, Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg, Will Poulter and Kaitlyn Dever. The result is a top-level product that uses a compelling narrative to tackle a burning topical issue.

Dopesick Review: The Story

“Profit at any cost” is the motto that guides the deeds of the Sackler family, owner of Purdue Pharma. Dopesick – Declaration of dependence reveals the background of the pharmaceutical industry and its unscrupulous maneuvers to the limits of legality. While mixing real facts with fictional elements, the content of the show cannot but make us think. Faced with absurd marketing gimmicks – defeating the risk of decline in sales and patient addiction by increasing the dosage of the drug – proposed by Purdue Pharma, the viewer knows that, behind the particularization for narrative purposes, there is a true story that has seen involved so many families destroyed by addiction. A chiaroscuro light envelops the character played by Michael Stuhlbarg, superb in the role of Richard Sackler, the black sheep of the family. Behind the lethargic look and the faint voice, less than one percent of opioid-treated patients develop addiction.

If Richard Sackler is represented as a sort of inept sovereign who sits on his throne / armchair in the company of his dog, isolated from the rest of the world, studying ways to further increase Purdue Pharma’s billionaire income, the operating arm of the company are pharmaceutical representatives trained to parrot slogans and data to secure the largest number of customers among Midwestern doctors. But how to sell this colossal scam that threatens their health to the Americans? It is enough to declare one’s intention to put an end to the “epidemic of pain”, considered not only harmful, but even immoral, by placing on the market a drug that promises wonders and minimizing its side effects.

While Dopesick makes the public aware of the malpractices of a pharmaceutical industry that uses lies and corruption as weapons to secure maximum profits, the counterpart is the innocent victims of such maneuvers. The show, shot strictly on location to reinforce the sense of realism, tells the story of a mining town in Virginia and the simple people who work to make ends meet overwhelmed by the opioid crisis. Michael Keaton plays Dr. Samuel Finnix, an old-fashioned physician who puts humanity before prescriptions, convinced to administer OxyContin as a pain reliever by a young and enthusiastic rep played by Will Poulter.

In its crude tale of the impact of the opioid crisis on the American province, Dopesick also serves educational purposes by unveiling important background and clarifying why the epicenter of the crisis is still the Midwest today. The mining and industrial area is the most suitable place to introduce new painkillers on the market due to the high percentage of individuals prone to accidents at work. And that’s exactly what Purdue Pharma will do. The cross investigations conducted by Peter Sarsgaard and John Hoogenakker unmask the company’s calculations and misdeeds as Rick Mount castle and Randy Ramseyer, delivering a performance full of humanity, warmth and, in Hoogenakker’s case, a dash of humor as well, and one that sees Rosario Dawson as an aggressive DEA executive who sacrifices her private life and marriage to combat the scourge of drug addiction.

Dopesick Review and Analysis

A sprawling narrative structure, supported by skillful editing and a lively rhythm, allow Dopesick to convey an important message thanks to an engaging packaging. Built as a thriller, the show sows along its eight episodes mother scenes, significant details, twists and hooks that thrill the viewer to the investigation that serves as a leitmotif and to the destiny of the characters. Characters who, despite the conspicuous numerical presence, are portrayed with depth and dignity thanks to the careful writing of Danny Strong and to the excellent interpretations among which the very human doctor of Michael Keaton stands out, whose character undergoes the most evident evolution, the gritty Rosario Dawson and the excellent Michael Stuhlbarg, the

To the richness of the characters is added the variety of the settings: the opulence of the Sackler palaces are contrasted by the modest wooden houses of the miners, the rawness of the suburbs, where many drug addicts end up, the aseptic atmosphere of the prosecutor’s offices, courts and DEA. Beyond the careful and exciting packaging, Dopesick is pursuing a precise thesis. For Danny Strong, the culprits of the opioid crisis have a first and last name. The author does not hold back in denouncing the misdeeds of Purdue Pharma, indicating in the figure of Richard Sackler the true villain of the story. At the same time, the choice to devote more filmic time to the character than the others allow the viewer to understand his background, providing a sort of justification for his misdeeds.

The Final Words

The articulated narrative structure embraces different points of view providing us with an exhaustive vision of the story. Danny Strong manages to build an eye-catching package to send an important message. A cast in a state of grace. Stars such as Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, Rosario Dawson and Michael Stuhlbarg produce excellent performances by putting themselves at the service of the story of a painful plague that still plagues the USA today. Behind the eye-catching packaging hides a bold stance against the pharmaceutical industry and its dark side.