Al Pacino stars as Bobby, a grungy heroin addict, who's living a seedy existence in NYC. Kitty Winn plays Bobby's girl, Helen. Helen becomes romantically involved with Bobby, and he initiates her into the sordid world of heroin use.<br /><br />This film is shot to look like a documentary. As a result, the viewer can better envision the squalor of the characters, and their desperate quest to keep themselves supplied with enough heroin. Overall, the film is engrossing, and yet has a repulsive quality. The characters in this film, are very pitiful. They manage to invoke both sympathy, and contempt at the same time.<br /><br />You may likely feel glad when the film is over, because you don't have to witness the wretched suffering of the addict characters anymore. Al Pacino is amazingly talented. His performance in this film, is the only reason to see this otherwise depressing movie.