Drugstore Cowboy is easily the best film I've seen by Gus Van Sant. It is a very bleak look at the life of four young drug addicts and their lives. Bob (Matt Dillon) is the ringleader. He's experienced, fairly intelligent, and very much addicted. His wife is Dianne (Kelly Lynch). The two of them have been together for years, always stealing and conniving in order to get their fix. Along the way, they've picked up two others (James LeGros and Heather Graham). The film shows us their lives: the way they get their drugs, how they have to constantly be on their toes to escape the police who scheme to find ways of arresting the group, and by showing the dangers of the lives they lead.
The story is narrated by Bob. At the beginning of the film, we see Bob lying in the back of an ambulance. The film is essentially Bob looking back on his recent past, determining how he got to that point. Bob and Dianne, along with Rick and Nadine, feed their addictions by robbing drugstores and hospitals. They take all the medication they can and proceed to take it, getting high and doped up on everything they can. Nothing seems to be off limits. Things start to turn ugly when Nadine places a "30 day hex" on the group. Bob is very superstitious and at the mention of something as minimal as a dog believes to his very soul that bad luck is on their side. In this respect, he's right. The police finally dig up some dirt, causing Bob and the gang to pack up and move. They get a hotel room and continue with their lifestyle, robbing another drugstore first, then a hospital. More bad luck ensues, and Bob has some decisions to make.
Drugstore Cowboy features and excellent cast. Matt Dillon is a wonderful Bob. Dillon, who has had his share of performances ranging from excellent to dismal, plays this role with conviction. This is a three-dimensional character with his share of problems, but who is also very tormented and easy to feel for. Bob goes through a complete transformation and, with Van Sant's careful execution and Dillon's perfect portrayal, is a very likable, relatable character. Kelly Lynch is less effective, but still rather good in the role of Bob's wife Dianne. Dianne is very torn at the beginning of the film. She's tired of Bob's schemes, the fact that he won't sleep with her, and the way in which he treats people. By the end of the film, though, Dianne seems afraid to change. She's comfortable in her lifestyle, despite the problems she may incur due to it. James LeGros does not have a lot to work with. One emotional scene, though, proves that he knows what he's doing. Rick, his character, is rather under-utilized, but still necessary. Heather Graham plays Nadine, a young and naïve teenager who has latched on to the group as a means of belonging. This is an early role for Graham, but is arguably one of her best performances. She makes Nadine a very pitiful, sad character with whom the audience can most easily feel sorry for.
Gus Van Sant has obvious talent as a director and this film is the perfect representation of that. Each character is dealt with very carefully and each actor is on key. This is easily due to Van Sant's talent as a director. Drugstore Cowboy essentially shows the degradation of young lives as a result of drug abuse. It does not glorify the lifestyle in the least, but it is also not preachy. In the hands of another director, Drugstore Cowboy may have ended up a completely different type of movie. Films like Requiem for a Dream, which tried to accomplish the same thing, are overly done and can feel more like an after school special than a realistic look into the lives of these people. Drugstore Cowboy does this perfectly and it is under Van Sant's execution that it works the way it does.
Bleak and uncompromising, Drugstore Cowboy is a very impressive film from Van Sant. It features wonderful performances from its four young actors and offers a rather realistic look into the way drug addicts live their lives. It remains intriguing throughout its entire runtime and does not look down at its audience. It contains all the elements an effective film needs to be great: a talented director, an able cast, an interesting premise, and a glorious execution. Drugstore Cowboy is not to be missed.
9/10
The story is narrated by Bob. At the beginning of the film, we see Bob lying in the back of an ambulance. The film is essentially Bob looking back on his recent past, determining how he got to that point. Bob and Dianne, along with Rick and Nadine, feed their addictions by robbing drugstores and hospitals. They take all the medication they can and proceed to take it, getting high and doped up on everything they can. Nothing seems to be off limits. Things start to turn ugly when Nadine places a "30 day hex" on the group. Bob is very superstitious and at the mention of something as minimal as a dog believes to his very soul that bad luck is on their side. In this respect, he's right. The police finally dig up some dirt, causing Bob and the gang to pack up and move. They get a hotel room and continue with their lifestyle, robbing another drugstore first, then a hospital. More bad luck ensues, and Bob has some decisions to make.
Drugstore Cowboy features and excellent cast. Matt Dillon is a wonderful Bob. Dillon, who has had his share of performances ranging from excellent to dismal, plays this role with conviction. This is a three-dimensional character with his share of problems, but who is also very tormented and easy to feel for. Bob goes through a complete transformation and, with Van Sant's careful execution and Dillon's perfect portrayal, is a very likable, relatable character. Kelly Lynch is less effective, but still rather good in the role of Bob's wife Dianne. Dianne is very torn at the beginning of the film. She's tired of Bob's schemes, the fact that he won't sleep with her, and the way in which he treats people. By the end of the film, though, Dianne seems afraid to change. She's comfortable in her lifestyle, despite the problems she may incur due to it. James LeGros does not have a lot to work with. One emotional scene, though, proves that he knows what he's doing. Rick, his character, is rather under-utilized, but still necessary. Heather Graham plays Nadine, a young and naïve teenager who has latched on to the group as a means of belonging. This is an early role for Graham, but is arguably one of her best performances. She makes Nadine a very pitiful, sad character with whom the audience can most easily feel sorry for.
Gus Van Sant has obvious talent as a director and this film is the perfect representation of that. Each character is dealt with very carefully and each actor is on key. This is easily due to Van Sant's talent as a director. Drugstore Cowboy essentially shows the degradation of young lives as a result of drug abuse. It does not glorify the lifestyle in the least, but it is also not preachy. In the hands of another director, Drugstore Cowboy may have ended up a completely different type of movie. Films like Requiem for a Dream, which tried to accomplish the same thing, are overly done and can feel more like an after school special than a realistic look into the lives of these people. Drugstore Cowboy does this perfectly and it is under Van Sant's execution that it works the way it does.
Bleak and uncompromising, Drugstore Cowboy is a very impressive film from Van Sant. It features wonderful performances from its four young actors and offers a rather realistic look into the way drug addicts live their lives. It remains intriguing throughout its entire runtime and does not look down at its audience. It contains all the elements an effective film needs to be great: a talented director, an able cast, an interesting premise, and a glorious execution. Drugstore Cowboy is not to be missed.
9/10