disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

PAINKILLER -- A Star-Studded Portrayal of the Opioid Crisis

8/10/2023

0 Comments

 
Review by Tatiana Miranda
Picture
If there's one thing that Netflix knows how to do right, it's how to make a good true crime drama. From Mindhunters to Inventing Anna, the streaming service has found its niche in fictionalized accounts of true crime events. Netflix's latest true crime series is Painkiller, a limited series based on Barry Meier's 2003 book of the same name. The series follows the beginnings of the opioid crisis — more specifically, the involvement of Purdue Pharma's OxyContin. This may sound familiar, as this story was also the premise of Hulu's 2021 series Dopesick. ​

Director Peter Berg, who also directed Friday Night Lights, attempts to separate Painkillers from Hulu's predecessor, but it still falls in line with other homogeneous shows and documentaries that have come out of the abundance of streaming platforms lately. Notable examples include Hulu's Candy and Max's Love & Death, Peacock's A Friend of the Family and Netflix's Abducted in Plain Sight, and most recently, Hulu's Pam & Tommy and Netflix's Pamela, A Love Story. While some of these can be synergistic, as one medium might be a documentary and another might be a semi-fictionalized recreation, Dopesick and Painkiller have a fair amount of similarities that make it difficult not to compare the two.
Picture
Still, though, Painkiller takes a captivating approach in telling the story of OxyContin's creation and effects. The show has a semi-linear approach, following U.S. attorney investigator Edie's account of her introduction to OxyContin and her work in trying to take down Purdue Pharma. Through Edie's lens, we see the greed and ignorance that led to the creation and distribution of OxyContin. Matthew Broderick portrays an exceptionally unlikable Richard Sackler, who inherits Purdue Pharma and attempts to live up to the legacy of his uncle, Arthur Sackler. 

Beyond the Sackler family's avarice, Painkiller also highlights the involvement of pharmaceutical representatives in spreading the use of this drug. In the path of a product pipeline, the series trails Richard Sackler's invention as Purdue Pharma sales reps get it into the hands of patients. Through the fictionalized story of Glen Kryger, an auto mechanic who is prescribed OxyContin after a workplace injury, we see how easily one can get addicted to the drug and begin to abuse it.​

One of Painkiller's greatest strengths is how it doesn't singularly focus on Richard Sackler or Edie and John Brownlee as they sue Perdue Pharma. Instead, it encompasses the variety of subgroups that were affected by the creation of OxyContin. With this, though, the ending of the series does come across as messy as it attempts to tie up loose ends for the main characters while still ending on a poignant note. Nonetheless, Painkiller treats the subject with respect while also prioritizing entertainment, which is not always an easy thing to achieve. 

Painkiller begins streaming on Netflix on August 10. All six episodes reviewed. 

Rating: 3/5
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Allison Brown
    Borja Izuzquiz
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Daniel Lima
    Dan Skip Allen
    Erin M. Brady
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About