10 Blistering Films About Self Destruction

6. Less Than Zero (1987)

Loosely based on American genius writer - Bret Easton Ellis' first novel. Less Than Zero tells the cautionary tale of Julian - a former high school classmate of Clay's. Clay comes home from his first year at college and discovers Julian has become a drug addict and is boffing Blair - Clay's girlfriend who is now an addict as well. Julian has been cut off from his family and owes a dealer $50,000. Julian's behaviour and addiction forces him to work as a prostitute for the drug dealer. After undergoing a night of withdrawal, he begs his father to help him, but his dealer intervenes, gives him the drugs and sends him out to prostitute himself again. Clay finds Julian and there is a showdown with the dealer. Clay, Blair and Julian all escape into the desert to get Julian clean. However, he dies of heart failure. Initially despised by Ellis, he has come to accept the movie adaptation of his first novel with grudging admiration. I think it is quite amusing that Robert Downey Jnr is cast as Julian - given his history of substance abuse related disasters. Downey Jnr is excellent as the self destruction fuelled junkie Julian. He manages in his performance to get across complex emotions like vulnerability, arrogance, charm and nihilism. Made in the 1980s, Less Than Zero is an interesting period piece of one young man's tragic capitulation to his self destructive urges.