24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Northwest Junkie Pranksters, January 14, 2002
I am always surprised at how many people have not heard of this film. Although released back in 1989, this is definitely one of Van Sant's best films. This flick takes you into the day to day routine of Bob (played by Matt Dillon) and his melancholic and nomadic band of junkies who roam around the Pacific Northwest raiding pharmacies and hospital drug cabinets in search of Valium, Dilaudid and other narcotic goodies to pop, shoot and snort.
The mood of this film is generally very dysphoric however some comic relief is added throughout in the dialogue and 'trippy' visual imagery. Some of the pranks they pull on the detective they are eluding are also pretty humorous.
The movie definitely captures the 70's era well with its acting, dialogue and wardrobe. Superb acting by Dillon as the intimacy phobic, restless and highly superstitious ringleader, Kelly Lynch as his less than satisfied girlfriend, James LeGros as simpleminded Rick, and Heather Graham as the young ditzy neophyte who literally goes overboard trying hard fit into this group of merry prankster junkies.
This movie is a creative little exploration into the day to day routine and psyche of the junkie, so if you can't handle the portrayal of this reality, then this is another movie that isn't for you. Interestingly, William Burroughs plays a short role as a junkie priest, adding some penetrating social commentary towards the end.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Van Sant's best movie...., January 6, 1999
By A Customer
I was fortunate to see this film in its limited original release. Over the years much of it stayed with me, and it has stood up to repeated viewings. Hard to say what had the most impact: To see Matt Dillon turn in one of the best acting performances of that year? To witness one of the first performances of an interesting, talented unknown named Heather Graham? Or maybe the inspired performance of William Burroughs in a key role near the end? All the performances in this movie ring true. Truly one of the major overlooked films of the last 20 years.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
DVD review..., May 15, 2000
First off, let me say that Drugstore Cowboy is a great film, one of my favorites. This review is about the DVD release, not the film. The picture has a few flaws, dirt and noise in some scenes, lines in others... At times it can be distracting. Other times, it looks really nice. Having seen this film at least 6 or 8 times, I knew going in that I would really pay attention to the picture. Despite the problems (I'm starting to believe it's the source print of the film) the DVD is the best that the film has looked since it's theatrical release and I'm just glad that it's available. The sound is a 2.0 digital mix. Nothing great, but a good mix. Everything sounds clean and it has very good detail and level. The documentary is an interesting "making of" look at the film and is a nice extra. The commentary track features both Matt Dillon and Gus Van Sant and is fairly interesting. Overall, the DVD could be better (the bells and whistles of major studio releases overshadow smaller films like this one) but it is a nice release. If you love Drugstore Cowboy and are debating on picking this up on DVD, go ahead, you'll be pleased with it. Just don't expect perfection.
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