An ugly 80's masterpiece

I watched this film in a screenwriting class I was taken in order to understand the mechanics of a "bad script". Though this film is far from great, there are great things in it. It is a perfect depiction of the 1980s and the yuppie lifestyle that controlled so many people back then. James Woods' performance is inspired, manic, funny, weird and tragic. His final scene is perfect. It's really scary watching his character sink deeper into addiction without ever really getting out.

However as much as there is good with the filn, there is even more bad. The opening scenes and dialogue are strange and cliched. It is embarassing screenwriting and the actors look odd when they spit the ridiculous lines from their mouthes. Also Sean Young was way too over the top when she fell down that staircase after relapsing on coke, causing her miscarriage. It looked really fake.

In the end, I don't know how I feel about the movie. I wanted to love it cause James Woods is so good during the second half of the film. The later restaurant scene and where he is doing freebase with the old lady were classics. But there it is not enough to recommend to the average viewer unless you are a die-hard Woods fans (watch Salvador and Another Day in Paradise for other great James Woods roles).