Review of Drugstore Cowboy

Introduction

Matt Dillon plays Bob, the grungy leader of a local crew of melancholic junkies Diane (Kelly Lynch), Rick (James LeGros) and Nadine (Heather Graham) who seem to do nothing more than robbing pharmacies for the valuables they hold. He`s a bit discerning and no ordinary packets of paracetamol will do in his quest for a fix of the high stuff to pop, snort or shoot. All this while trying to keep his nose clean with a dogged cop called Gentry (James Remar) busting his chops.

There comes a time however when one feels that life should change, and Bob has to choose between his wife Diane and their pursuit of highs ever after, or life and try to lead a better one. This choice is the driving force that leads him into rehab. Here he bumps into an old addict friend Tom the Priest, (William S. Burroughs). It`s a good look at the day-to-day of a small group of small time junkies without preaching or glamourising to an audience.

Video

Presented with a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, it has a slightly better than average transfer. There`s some dirt around but it`s not distracting and the colours look well balanced with a decent amount of detail and black coming through.

Audio

This comes with a DD2.0 audio track. Drugstore Cowboy is mainly a dialogue driven movie and not a home theatre tester, so what`s here works well. Dialogue is clear and the ambient sound and music of the 70s is spread well across the front.

Features

Fullscreen static menus with hardly any features. English, French, German, Italian and Spanish menus and subtitles, with additional Dutch, Portuguese and Greek film subtitles. With DD2.0 English, German, French and Spanish audio. If you discount all the language options, there`s just a theatrical trailer.

I would have liked the Van Sant/Dillon commentary on the region 1 disc though and it`s a shame MGM have dropped it from this region 2 DVD.

Conclusion

This is a fine piece of work from Gus Van Sant, known for the portrayal of quirky characters (My Own Pivate Idaho, Good Will Hunting, Finding Forrester). The story is well balanced without condoning the habits of Bob and co and paints a sometimes dark and sometimes comical portrait of addiction. The core group here all gel and add depth to their characters. Matt Dillon narrates the story`s reflection and is especially good.

From the scenes of being stuck in a sheriff`s convention, to having to dispose of a dead body, there are plenty of moments that are well composed and move the story forward. The essence of the 70s is captured well on film, the production design and music reflect well of the era and lends it a sense of cool.

I enjoyed this film and it`s too bad that it`s yet another example of MGM releasing a bare DVD compared to region 1. There`s a commentary track with Gus Van Sant and Matt Dillon on the US version so I`d say go for that disc if you want this film and the extras, otherwise get this region 2 disc. Recommended.