What an absolute masterpiece of a movie. Do not be fooled by the Troma label here, this is not a traditional tongue in cheek Troma film AT ALL. Story Of A Junkie is a harrowing look into the life of a drug addict named Gringo, who became well known for attacking Johnny Thunders on stage and being John Belushi’s drug dealer. The film follows his routine throughout the downtrodden streets of lower east side New York. The thing is though, “Gringo” isn’t his real name, it’s John Spacely.

Instead of being a straightforward documentary, this film takes a bold risk and decides to let Spacely play out a dramatized version of his life for the camera. While there are a few moments which I can definitely point out as staged, most of it blurs the line completely because of how authentic the death and destruction really is. All of the drug use in the movie is real, the “actors” are all real junkies, and Gringo is just Spacely’s alter ego. The presentation of Story Of A Junkie is intimate, you feel like you’re seeing something you’re not supposed to see at all. The film peers into everything, from the drug production line, to the economy of drug dealing, to the psychology of drug dealers and addicts.

Make no mistake, even though this is not a Troma film, this is definitely an exploitation movie. Some of the images here are so shocking and disturbing, that I found myself wincing, which I rarely do. It’s not the images itself that shock me, (although they are definitely disturbing on their own) it’s the context behind those images. There’s a scene where Spacely reveals his entire reason for getting high, and it is so heartbreaking, that it made me have a pit in my stomach for the rest of the movie. The ending legitimately made me queasy, without uttering a word, Lech Kowalski shows why addicts get hooked on drugs. It’s a numbing agent for them. Whether it be the trials of life or just plain discontent, they escape through their high. Every single conversation, interview, shot, etc, is necessary in Story Of A Junkie. Instead of treating these people like outsiders, Lech Kowalski portrays them as normal people who clung to escapism out of desperation.

As raw as this movie is, it’s extremely well made. The cinematography here is fantastic, Story Of A Junkie is filmed mostly at night, so there’s almost nothing illuminating the screen other than the odd street lamp or a busted up lightbulb. You can feel the grime and dirt in every frame of this, 80’s Lower East Side Manhattan is filmed in a brutally honest way. It’s utterly filthy and disgusting; but it’s obvious Lech Kowalski had a deep respect for the residents there. I also think the soundtrack here is utterly fantastic. The “C and D” song at the beginning and the end credits is so catchy, that I’ve been singing it to myself ever since I first watched this movie, it really is a 10/10 song. “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash also plays in the latter half; and it totally fits Spacely’s story, while also being one of my favorite songs of all time. The ambient music sets the tone very well, I won’t spoil the ending, but the score made me feel genuinely anxious, and very few pieces of media have been able to do that to me.

I think this movie is perfect. So many shots are burned into my memory here; Spacely’s shadow dancing in front of the gringo mural, Spacely skating alongside bikers, and Spacely skating off into the sunset, knowing full well that he’s wandering off into a path of self destruction. It’s a bleak film, made even bleaker by the fact that John Spacely himself died in 1993 from a drug overdose. I don’t think Story Of A Junkie is totally hopeless though, it shows these people at their worst, but it still shows the humanity behind them, and the brief moments of levity that they experience. This is a difficult watch, but it’s one of my favorite films ever made, and I think it’s a bonafide masterpiece.

What an absolute masterpiece of a movie. Do not be fooled by the Troma label here, this is not a traditional tongue in cheek Troma film AT ALL. Story Of A Junkie is a harrowing look into the life of a drug addict named Gringo, who became well known for attacking Johnny Thunders on stage and being John Belushi’s drug dealer. The film follows his routine throughout the downtrodden streets of lower east side New York. The thing is though, “Gringo” isn’t his real name, it’s John Spacely.

Instead of being a straightforward documentary, this film takes a bold risk and decides to let Spacely play out a dramatized version of his life for the camera. While there are a few moments which I can definitely point out as staged, most of it blurs the line completely because of how authentic the death and destruction really is. All of the drug use in the movie is real, the “actors” are all real junkies, and Gringo is just Spacely’s alter ego. The presentation of Story Of A Junkie is intimate, you feel like you’re seeing something you’re not supposed to see at all. The film peers into everything, from the drug production line, to the economy of drug dealing, to the psychology of drug dealers and addicts.

Make no mistake, even though this is not a Troma film, this is definitely an exploitation movie. Some of the images here are so shocking and disturbing, that I found myself wincing, which I rarely do. It’s not the images itself that shock me, (although they are definitely disturbing on their own) it’s the context behind those images. There’s a scene where Spacely reveals his entire reason for getting high, and it is so heartbreaking, that it made me have a pit in my stomach for the rest of the movie. The ending legitimately made me queasy, without uttering a word, Lech Kowalski shows why addicts get hooked on drugs. It’s a numbing agent for them. Whether it be the trials of life or just plain discontent, they escape through their high. Every single conversation, interview, shot, etc, is necessary in Story Of A Junkie. Instead of treating these people like outsiders, Lech Kowalski portrays them as normal people who clung to escapism out of desperation.

As raw as this movie is, it’s extremely well made. The cinematography here is fantastic, Story Of A Junkie is filmed mostly at night, so there’s almost nothing illuminating the screen other than the odd street lamp or a busted up lightbulb. You can feel the grime and dirt in every frame of this, 80’s Lower East Side Manhattan is filmed in a brutally honest way. It’s utterly filthy and disgusting; but it’s obvious Lech Kowalski had a deep respect for the residents there. I also think the soundtrack here is utterly fantastic. The “C and D” song at the beginning and the end credits is so catchy, that I’ve been singing it to myself ever since I first watched this movie, it really is a 10/10 song. “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash also plays in the latter half; and it totally fits Spacely’s story, while also being one of my favorite songs of all time. The ambient music sets the tone very well, I won’t spoil the ending, but the score made me feel genuinely anxious, and very few pieces of media have been able to do that to me.

I think this movie is perfect. So many shots are burned into my memory here; Spacely’s shadow dancing in front of the gringo mural, Spacely skating alongside bikers, and Spacely skating off into the sunset, knowing full well that he’s wandering off into a path of self destruction. It’s a bleak film, made even bleaker by the fact that John Spacely himself died in 1993 from a drug overdose. I don’t think Story Of A Junkie is totally hopeless though, it shows these people at their worst, but it still shows the humanity behind them, and the brief moments of levity that they experience. This is a difficult watch, but it’s one of my favorite films ever made, and I think it’s a bonafide masterpiece.