Needle

1990 1h 23m EN

🤯

10.0

MASTERPIECE

★10.0TMDB · 2

DramaTV Movie

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Needle paints a harrowing picture of a Liverpool overrun by drugs, charting a young man's nightmarish descent into intravenous heroin use and AIDS and a police and political leadership incapable of the imagination or courage necessary to respond to the drug problem.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Sean McKee
Danny
Emma Bird
Paula
Pete Postlethwaite
Paula's Father
Anna Keaveney
Council Leader
John Bennett
Chief Constable
Paul Barber
Drugs Counsellor
Gary Mavers
John
Jake Abraham
Greg

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gillies MacKinnon
Writers: Jimmy McGovern
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

83 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Gillies MacKinnon, shot by Barry McCann. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Clare Douglas shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Sean McKee and Emma Bird and Pete Postlethwaite carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0149495 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gillies MacKinnon directs. Barry McCann behind the camera. Clare Douglas cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

183 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
236 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Gillies MacKinnon, shot by Barry McCann. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Clare Douglas shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Sean McKee and Emma Bird and Pete Postlethwaite carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0149495 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.