There was huge buzz around the drug culture movie Spun when it played here at the film festival last fall, buzz that was elevated when Mickey Rourke skipped a press conference for the film.

As far as we're concerned, one meth movie is about the same as the next -- grunge, drool, bodily functions and illegal lab explosions. It's all good. Spun is better than most.

The film, which is rated R for all the reasons listed above plus general filth and lots of bad language, is an unflinching and often hilarious look at the very messed up world of speed freaks.

Tricky camera work emphasizes every snort and jab in this one, and a very strong cast permits down and dirty events to have a certain exhilaration factor. No, it's not pro-drugs. Not in any way, shape or form. Quite the opposite. Calm down.

Here are the players in Spun: Jason Schwartzman is Ross, a college dropout with a speed habit that is slowly undoing what's left of his life. John Leguizamo (fabulous as usual) is a paranoid nutcase small-time dealer. Mena Suvari, all brown-toothed and spaced-out, is Spider Mike's girlfriend.

Brittany Murphy is a chipper stripper and Mickey Rourke is her boyfriend. He's the cook, the man who makes speed.

Patrick Fugit has a tiny, perfect role as a kid addicted to video games. And watch for appearances from Eric Roberts, Debby Harry, Billy Corgan, Peter Stormare and Alexis Arquette.

Schwarzman's character, Ross, somehow becomes a sort of chauffeur to the meth cook in exchange for free drugs. The film covers a few days in the meandering lives of the characters as they use, manipulate, talk incoherently, use, drive, use more and get so wasted they're all spun. Ross drives the stripper's dog to a vet after it inhales crank fumes.

Ross ties up another stripper for fun and sex, then goes off on a meth tangent and forgets -- for days -- there's a woman imprisoned in his room. It is beautifully filmed chaos.

Ultimately, Spun is a tragedy about human loneliness; nonetheless, filmmaker Jonas Akerlund makes it all visually inventive. You can't look away. The music is great, too.

You may want to shower afterward, of course.

(This film is rated R)

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