They made a John Kapoor / Insys movie and race-swapped the villain :D At least it’s the great Cuban-Am Andy Garcia and not, like, Cumberbatch. “Pain Hustlers” (Blunt, Chris Evans, Amit Shah on Nflx).
![](https://mvij.org/content/images/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-27-at-10.17.42-PM.jpeg)
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I’ve long said desi-Am crooks and hustlers in tech / finance / pharma are a full employment act for their theater-kid cousins.
But Hollywood just lifts the story and race-bends the cast. A hard-working brown crook can’t even get his own movie anymore :D
![](https://mvij.org/content/images/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-27-at-10.21.52-PM.jpeg)
They threw us a bone with Amit Shah as “Eric Paley,” but instead of founding the racket, he’s a blubbering rat on his knees.
![](https://mvij.org/content/images/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-27-at-10.23.27-PM.jpeg)
Barefoot and backgrounded.
![](https://mvij.org/content/images/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-27-at-10.22.56-PM.jpeg)
![](https://mvij.org/content/images/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-27-at-10.20.47-PM.jpeg)
Brown dad or lawyer at sentencing.
![](https://mvij.org/content/images/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-27-at-10.24.54-PM.jpeg)
A nod to the actual founder at the very end.
![](https://mvij.org/content/images/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-27-at-10.26.36-PM.jpeg)
Emily Blunt is the heroine and audience bridge, because pretty white ladies sell tickets like they sell pills, similar racket. One Blunt = 2 hours of bliss.
I used to say that when Hollywood makes the Ramayana, it’ll be with a gormless white hero and Indian villains. Thought it was clever snark, but it’s just a straightforward description of their biz model.
Story it’s based on, delving into Insys paying off docs to prescribe unnecessary painkillers. [nytimes.com]
Trailer: