Puncture (film)

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Puncture

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Adam Kassen
Mark Kassen
Produced by Adam Kassen
Mark Kassen
Jordan Foley
Written by Chris Lopata
Story by Ela Thier
Paul Danziger
Starring Chris Evans
Mark Kassen
Vinessa Shaw
Brett Cullen
Michael Biehn
Marshall Bell
Music by Ryan Ross Smith
Cinematography Helge Gerull
Editing by Chip Smith
Studio Millennium Entertainment
Distributed by Millennium Entertainment
Release dates
  • April 21, 2011 (2011-04-21) (Tribeca)
Running time 99 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Box office $68,945 [1]

Puncture is an independent feature film starring Chris Evans, directed by Adam Kassen and Mark Kassen. The movie is based on the true story of Michael David 'Mike' Weiss and Paul Danziger. It was chosen as one of the spotlight films for the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, premiering on April 21, 2011 in New York City.[2]

Cast

Plot

Mike Weiss (Chris Evans) is a young Houston lawyer and a drug addict. Paul Danziger (co-director Mark Kassen) is his longtime friend and strait-laced law partner. They decide to take on a case involving Vicky (Vinessa Shaw), a local ER nurse, who is pricked by a contaminated needle. As Weiss and Danziger dig deeper into the case, a health care and pharmaceutical conspiracy teeters on exposure and heavyweight attorneys move in on the defense. Out of their league but invested in their own gain, the mounting pressure of the case pushes the two underdog lawyers and their business to the breaking point.[3]

Underlying issues

The story is based on two young lawyers and a syringe manufacturer who had invented a safety syringe that he was unable to sell. The safety syringe manufacturer filed an antitrust lawsuit against the two largest hospital group purchasing organizations and a large syringe manufacturer claiming he was being shut out of the market.[4] The case was settled before trial for $150 million.[5]

In addition the film brings to light several issues affecting American health care:
1. Accidental needle sticks cause thousands of US nurses to be infected by HIV, Hepatitis C and other infectious diseases every year.[6]
2. Needle reuse in Africa and Asia directly cause 1.3 million deaths annually, 23 million hepatitis infections annually and 260,000 HIV/AIDS infections annually.[7]

A passing reference in the movie also touches on whether HIV/AIDS in Africa is spread by sex or needle reuse. Research has found needle reuse, rather than sex, may have been the main cause of the rapid spread of AIDS in Africa.[8]

Development

Paul Danziger drafted the first version of the script which was rewritten by Ela Thier. After filmmakers Mark and Adam Kassen agreed to take on the project they brought in Chris Lopata to rewrite. Filming began on February 10, 2010 in Texas.[9] The film was directed by Adam Kassen and Mark Kassen. Adam Kassen was quoted as saying "From the moment we heard about this story, we connected to what it says about the current state of our medical industry and the flawed hero that tries to fix it."[10] The film was selected by the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival to serve as one of the spotlight premiere features in the program's lineup. Millennium Films acquired the distribution rights with the movie premiering in New York on September 11 and opening in selected cities September 23, 2011.

Home Media

Puncture was released on DVD & Blu-ray on January 3, 2012.

References

  1. ↑ boxofficemojo
  2. ↑ http://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/puncture-film36410.html
  3. ↑ "Evans gets a Puncture". KillerFilm.com. 2010-03-17. Retrieved 2010-08-26. 
  4. ↑ "2 Big Hospital Buying Groups Settle Lawsuit by Needle Maker". The New York Times. 2003-05-08. 
  5. ↑ "Syringe Manufacturer Settles Claim of Market Manipulation". The New York Times. 2004-07-03. 
  6. ↑ Susan Wilburn, MPH, RN. Occupational Health and Safety. 
  7. ↑ The global burden of disease attributable to contaminated injections given in health care settings
  8. ↑ David D. Brewer, Stuart Brody, Ernest Drucker, David Gisselquist, Stephen F. Minkin, John J. Potterat, Richard B. Rothernberg, and Francois Vachon, “Mounting Anomalies in the Epidemiology of HIV in Africa: Cry the Beloved Paradigm,” Int. J. of STD & AIDS 2003; 14:144-147. David Gisselquist, John J. Potterat, Stuart Brody, and Francois Vachon, “Let it be Sexual: how Health Care Transmission of AIDS in Africa was Ignored,” Int. J. of STD & AIDS 2003; 14:148-161. David Gisselquist and John J. Potterat, “Heterosexual Transmission of HIV in Africa: An Empiric Estimate,” Int. J. of STD & AIDS 2003; 14:162-173.
    http://sites.google.com/site/davidgisselquist/chapter9
  9. ↑ Puncture (2011) - Box office / business
  10. ↑ By (2010-03-16). "Chris Evans joins 'Puncture'". Variety. Retrieved 2010-08-26. 

External links

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