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Netflix’s movie Pain Hustlers is director David Yates’ creation that is far removed from his usual genre of fantasy-based or epic-based work. This is his first crime drama. The movie follows the story of a corrupt pharmaceutical company charged with indiscriminate selling of opioids.
While the movie and its lead character are fictional, the story is inspired by a similar true event in the United States. The star-studded cast of the movie, as well as the premise of the plot, is aimed at bringing awareness about the increasing opioid epidemic.
The movie follows the track of other films and shows on the same crisis, such as Painkiller and Dopesick. Screenwriter Wells Tower recalls getting inspired by a feature in the New York Times and wanted to work on a story on American medicine with Pain Hustlers.
The writer and the creative team have taken the liberty of crafting the story using fictional names for the pharmaceutical company, the owner, and the drug at the center of the storyline. The lead character is also fictional, added for creative storytelling.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the movie.
How much of the plot of Pain Hustlers is true?
Journalist Evan Hughes wrote a feature in the New York Times on a pharmaceutical company that was pushing doctors to prescribe a new drug produced by the company.
The feature spoke about an Arizona-based pharmaceutical company, going by the name Insys Therapeutics, which was producing a drug named Subsys. The drug contained a liquid form of Fentanyl, an opioid that is highly addictive.
The company, owned by John Kapoor, bribed doctors to prescribe the drug to patients with mild issues, even those who did not need it. As the truth came to light, the company faced multiple lawsuits, with its top executives found guilty of racketeering. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2019, and founder John Kapoor was sentenced to five years in prison.
The feature by Hughes was the genesis for Pain Hustlers when Wells realized the story’s potential and wanted it to reach a wider audience. Director David Yates took up the project.
Basing the plot loosely on the original news, the creative team changed the company’s name from Insys Therapeutics to Zanna and the name of the drug from Subsys to Lonafen. However, the lead character, Liza, played by Emily Blunt, is an entirely fictional creation.
What does the movie Pain Hustlers want to talk about?
Writer Wells wanted the original issue of the opioid epidemic to have a wider reach. The issue that came to light through an article by journalist Hughes and saw a legal turn needed public awareness.
Pain Hustlers talks about the painkiller Lonafen, which has many similarities with Subsys. Both drugs are forms of liquid Fentanyl and were created to relieve cancer patients of pain. Moreover, just like Subsys, Lonafen is addictive.
Furthermore, the Netflix movie showed doctors being bribed by the company Zanna to offer the drug to patients who were not suffering from life-threatening diseases or severe pain. As in reality with Subsys, in Pain Hustlers, many were shown to become addicted to Lonafen.
Who makes up the cast of Pain Hustlers?
Directed by David Yates of 2016’s The Legend of Tarzan fame, the movie has Emily Blunt in the lead as Liza Drake, Chris Evans as Pete Brenner, Andy Garcia as Jack Neel, Jay Duplass as Brent Larkin, and Catherine O’Hara as Jackie Drake.
Some other actors in different roles are Chloe Coleman, Aubrey Dollar, Brian d’Arcy James, Willie Raysor, and Amit Shah. The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September this year and had a theatrical release on October 20, 2023.
Pain Hustlers is available for streaming on Netflix since October 27, 2023.
