Normally, I wouldn’t pick Pain Hustlers to watch. On Netflix, it’s labeled as a drama, and that’s not usually my go-to genre. However, when I checked IMDb and saw a 6.6 rating, which I consider pretty good, and read that it’s based on real events, I decided to give it a try.
And I m glad I did.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15257160/
A drama, but not only this. A (true) drug crime, and a docudrama (first time I saw this document+drama) as it is based on a book, that is based on true events (you see details at the end of the movie)
Story:
Liza dreams of a better life for herself and her daughter. Hired to work for a bankrupt pharmaceutical company, Liza skyrockets with sales and into the high life, putting her in the middle of a federal criminal conspiracy.
The movie starts in an interesting way. We see people testifying to the police, while at the same time, we catch glimpses of a divorced woman’s life,strong but struggling to survive and raise her daughter in difficult circumstances.
I can’t say that Emily Blunt is one of my favorite actresses, but every time I’ve seen her in a film, she has done a good job, and this one is no exception.
All the actors were great and to be honest I only realized that I was seeing Andy Garcia when I checked out the cast!
If you dont remember who Catherine is, she was the mum in Home Alone
The story revolves around a pharmaceutical company that’s about to shut down, until Liza enters the scene in an unexpected way. Suddenly, following Liza's initiatives and talent, the company starts to blossom, making huge profits and turning everyone’s life around.
Everyone’s happy, or not?
Soon, things take a darker turn. Something starts happening to the patients taking the company’s drug. Some things catch the police attention.
Will they get caught? What what’s really been going on behind the scenes, is something you’ll have to discover by watching the movie yourself.
Overall, Pain Hustlers is a film that combines ambition, greed, and moral dilemmas in a story that feels all too real. In my opinion, it is definitely worth watching, especially knowing that it’s inspired by true events.
You can watch the trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbPeXsdamT4
Screenshots are taken from imdb & from the movie trailer
Thank you for your support, I hope that you will enjoy it!
About the book: The book is called "Pain Hustlers: Crime and Punishment at an Opioid Startup," which was originally published as "The Hard Sell" by Evan Hughes. It was the source material for the 2023 movie of the same name. Author: Evan Hughes Original title: "The Hard Sell" Topic: The book is a non-fiction account of the pharmaceutical startup Insys Therapeutics and its aggressive, sometimes deceptive, marketing of a powerful fentanyl-based painkiller.