Long before American Psycho made the transition to the big screen this equally nihilistic Bret Easton Ellis novel appeared, mapping out the fag end of 1980s yuppie-dom with its tale of Beverly Hills rich kids spaced out on drugs and drifting from sports cars to nightclubs. Unusually strong material for a studio movie, although the more controversial aspects of Ellis's book were toned down to benefit a rather conventional love story, Another Country director Marek Kanievska handles his cast well, drawing exceptional performances from James Spader as a smarmy pusher and Robert Downey Jr in an art-imitating-life role as a desperate addict. Still, compared to the absorbing Christiane F, this anti-drugs message film too often resembles an R-rated episode of Beverly Hills 90210.

A college freshman returns to Los Angeles for Christmas at his ex-girlfriend's request, but discovers that his former best friend has an out-of-control drug habit.