It's received wisdom that the company of a gang of junkies is slightly up the scale from solitary confinement with only H from Steps for conversation.

There's the illusory conviction they have the looks of George Clooney and the wit of Stephen Fry when, in fact, they are a pitiable mess with the repartee of a dull two-year-old.

A true depiction of their sorry plight would be a depressing story indeed - there's nothing remotely chic or desirable about the grimy half-lives they lead.

So any cinematic attempt to capture the desperation of long-term drug addiction isn't going to have them queuing around the block of the local multiplex.

Jonas Akerland's take on the sordid subject is what you might expect of a celebrated video director - all fast editing, fancy camera angles and a hip soundtrack.

This glossily grungy version of events inevitably lends the grim truth a sanitised glamour albeit shot through with black humour (which doesn't really exist in the real world).

College drop-out Ross (Schwartzman) relies on his regular fix from hyper active dealer Spider (Leguizamo) who, in turn, is supplied by the "cook" (Rourke).

The cook's girlfriend is stripper Nikki (Murphy) and there's also a couple of meth-sniffing cops filming a reality TV show closing in on Rourke.

Because none of the characters a remotely likeable you soon find yourself half yearning for them to share a dirty needle ASAP.

Ross is supposed to be a sympathetic slacker but comes across as a selfish twerp (one scene where he leaves a stripper handcuffed to his bed is supposed to a laddish giggle but just comes across as the work of a seedy misogynist).

Meth trips themselves are illustrated in flashy animation but never counterbalanced with the super-sweating squalor of cold turkey shot in the same style.

There have been comparisons with Trainspotting but this over-stylised cartoon lacks the rich depth and balance of what was Class A entertainment. Just say no.

Tim Evans