The implication at the end is that Bobby and Helen will continue with their nihilistic no-hoper existences in which they steal or prostitute themselves in order to keep scoring money for their next fix. So it's a very bleak and depressing, albeit highly realistic ending that speaks volumes about the doomed codependent "romance" that Bobby and Helen are trapped in.
You've seen Guy Standeven in something because the man was in everything.

No you got it! That's exactly what the ending is saying. Depressing film!

Yes, you're right. It's just perfect.

Just watched this for the first time after hearing about it for several years. It's a terrific film, and the ending is perfect. I love that final shot of Al with his hoodie pulled over his head. Wow.

This message has been deleted.

Sometimes directors are not sure how to end a movie. This seems like one of those times. My alternate ending would have Bobby saying, "So you wanna move to the country?" If she's clean, like he must be after prison, then they could try, as they once spoke of. A glimmer of hope at the end would be better than this vagueness, I think
LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!

It wasn't necessarily an ending. They are just going to keep doing the same thing over and over. It wasn't a happy ending. You pretty much got it right.
I saw blood and I saw stars all in the backseat of your car.
http://weheartit.com/LifesWonderful

I think the movie doesn't try hard to be any "kind" of ending. It just tries to be as realistic as possible, and lets the audience love it, hate it, learn something from it, or not. In this way it reminds me of movies like "Two Lovers" (2008) and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (2008).

The first time I saw THE PANIC IN NEEDLE PARK, the ending seemed strange to me like it was abrupt. However, after thinking about it and seeing it for the second time recently, I would agree with most of the people on this thread. I.E. There is really no future for Helen and Bobby. They will always be junkies and they will probably always be in and out of jail. Helen and Bobby are walking together with no real direction and that is the bond they share. THE PANIC IN NEEDLE PARK is a very downbeat movie but although I really don't know any junkies personally, I would hazard to say that this is typical of the predicament that the average junkie faces.

~ The ending wasn't surprising to me. I knew Helen couldn't be without Bobby, or the drugs
. As for Bobby forgiven Helen? Ofcourse he had too b/c Bobby knew that he couldn't due no
better. No respectable girl would be with Bobby with his addictions, and he's irresponsible. Also whenever Bobby would get desperate for money he could always have Helen hooking for it.
The movie was pretty good and sad
. Al Paccino delivered an amazing performance
and Kitty Winn did great too.
It's a shame that she doesn't do anymore movies.
~
~
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Do you truly believe that you care
more for me than I do for you?
Edward Cullen of
Twilight
.

Some people find movies boring that others love, but I loved "Panic In Needle Park" and I think Pacino was amazing and definetly one of his underrated movies and one of his better performances.

How old are you? 14?
This movie was not
boring
. Far from it.

ye your interpretation of the ending matches with mine, and the ending is really the only decent part of the film, but it still doesnt make up for most of it which was quite boring really, and annoying at times.

Why did the last scene confuse you? It was just one of those dismal/depressing early 70's endings we all love so much! A film's ending doesn't always have to be happy or resolve itself in some way. Sometimes the best endings are ones that just stop abrubtly, and leave you going: "what? wow!". The ending in the film 'Panic.', is realistic. Most real heroin/opiate addicts ARE living in a situation not unlike the characters in the film. trapped in a circle of addiction, stealing {or hooking or dealing} to support their habbit, jail, poverty, and a grim future.

"I personally saw it as very depressing because it showed that nothing was really going to change for those two. They couldn't quit drugs any more than they could quit each other"
You hit it right on the head. It ended abruptly because there was nothing left to say about these two. They were just gonna go around and around in the same predictaments until they die. The end.
Of course, after seeing another Jerry Scatzberg(sp?) film, I noticed he has a liking to abrupt endings.

I don't think any one could construe it as a happy ending. Business as usual. There were more of these 'slice of life' flics in the 60's and 70's.
Frank Lee Deere. I don't give a damn.

Nothing to explain. Just life.
Somebody here has been drinking and I'm sad to say it ain't me - Allan Francis Doyle