The Panic in Needle Park (1971) DVD

The film that launched the career of Al Pacino and earned him a role in The Godfather was originally banned in the UK for its stark portrayal of heroin addiction in New York.

Jerry Schatzberg directs this hard-hitting drama following lost soul Helen as she slides into the world of drug dependency. Following an illegal botched abortion she has a chance meeting with small-time crook Bobby. The pair fall hard for each other and soon Helen becomes embroiled in Bobby's world of heroin addiction in Manhattan's Needle Park. Surrounded by prostitution, overdoses and the panic of a mnajor drug bust the couple weather the storm of their bleak existence.