Matt Dillon Gives His Best Performance In Violent Classic On Free Streaming
Gus Van Sant’s Matt Dillon starring Drugstore Cowboy is streaming on Tubi, and this powerhouse odyssey of addiction, violence, and redemption is a must-see for anybody who’s a fan of Van Sant’s work who may have overlooked his earlier films. Not only is this movie one of Matt Dillon’s best performances, but his portrayal of a strung out addict-turned-criminal is further bolstered by supporting performances from Kelly Lynch, Heather Graham, and even the legendary writer William S. Burroughs.
Much like Van Sant’s other films in his catalog, 1989’s Drugstore Cowboy expertly focuses on a marginalized group of people and shows us the motives behind their criminal careers in a way that highlights the humanity behind their decision-making.
Matt Dillon truly shines, as he expertly portrays a conflicted character with a troubled life who wants to leave behind his life of crime after hitting rock bottom.
Drugstore Cowboy is based on the James Fogle novel of the same name, but the Matt Dillon starring movie was actually released ahead of the novel’s publication. Fogle, whose novel directly inspired the crime drama, was incarcerated at the time of the film’s release, and the novel was published in 1990, a year later. Ironically enough, Fogle passed away in prison in 2012 while serving a 15-year sentence for robbing a pharmacy, which is the primary focus of the film.
Set in 1971, Drugstore Cowboy centers on the lives of a group of nomadic drug addicts who rob pharmacies and hospitals to support their habits. But it doesn’t take long for their lifestyle to catch up with them, and Matt Dillon’s Bob Hughes realizes that their group is being investigated by Detective Gentry (James Remar). After orchestrating yet another hospital robbery, the group of addicts situates themselves in a motel and decides to lay low.
But after Heather Graham’s Nadine fatally overdoses on a stolen bottle of Dilaudid inside the motel, Bob has reason to believe that a hex has been brought upon the group and makes a deal with a higher power. He vowed to straighten out his life if he could successfully sneak Nadine’s body out of the motel, past the police, and successfully bury her in the forest.
Early in Drugstore Cowboy’s development, Van Sant actually wanted musician Tom Waits to portray Bob instead of Matt Dillon.
It’s through this plot line that Matt Dillon truly shines, as he expertly portrays a conflicted character with a troubled life who wants to leave behind his life of crime after hitting rock bottom.
The rest of the film finds Matt Dillon’s Bob at odds with Dianne because she’s still embracing the lifestyle that caused so much trouble in the first place. Though Bob makes an honest and earnest attempt to join a 21-day methadone treatment program while working at a low-level manufacturing job, trouble still finds a way to cross him in Drugstore Cowboy, and it becomes apparent that breaking away from his cohorts proves more difficult than he originally anticipated.
Early in Drugstore Cowboy’s development, Van Sant actually wanted musician Tom Waits to portray Bob instead of Matt Dillon. But if Van Sant took this route, he wouldn’t have ended up receiving support from the finance company who funded the movie because Waits was already starring in a film they were financing.
If you’ve slept on Drugstore Cowboy, you can check it out on Tubi, and witness one of Matt Dillon’s best performances for yourself.
But thanks to this conflict of interest, Dillon landed the role, and although he wasn’t the first choice for top-billing, his performance is one of the reasons the film performed so well critically and commercially.
On the critical front, Drugstore Cowboy garnered an impressive 97 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, and won awards for best screenplay from the New York Film Critics Circle and the L.A. Film Critics Association. Matt Dillon also took home an Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead.
Roger Ebert even gave the film a perfect four out of four stars, praising Dillon’s work, as well as the film’s ability to portray its characters not as bad people but rather sick people coping with “the desperation in their lives.”
Gus Van Sant has always had his finger on the pulse with this innate ability to highlight the struggles of troubled youths in compromising situations. While films like 2003’s Elephant expertly portray the kind of suburban isolation that would lead to a school shooting, Drugstore Cowboy shows us how a group of drug addicts in their 20s cope with addiction and try to navigate their lives while running from the law. If you’ve slept on Drugstore Cowboy, you can check it out on Tubi, and witness one of Matt Dillon’s best performances for yourself.
