Based on James Fogle’s then-unpublished autobiographical novel of the same name, Gus Van Sant’s Drugstore Cowboy presents an insightful, authentic story about drug use. As the filmopens, Bob Hughes (Matt Dillon in a captivating performance) informs the viewer, “it’s hard being a dope fiend,” and then the film proceeds to prove his point.
Buy Drugstore Cowboy (Criterion Collection)Set in Portland, Oregon, 1971, Drugstore Cowboy focuses on the exploits of Bob Hughes, addict and leader of a pharmaceutical-stealing quartet that includes his wife, Diane (Kelly Lynch); the muscle, Rick (James LeGros); and Rick’s gal, Nadine (Heather Graham). The crew works together to distract everyone at a pharmacy while Bob robs the place. To his wife’s annoyance, Bob can’t wait to get home before shooting up.
Detective Gentry (James Remar) leads police officers into the crew’s house without a warrant, but leave empty handed. Setting up in a new location, Nadine asks if they can have a puppy, unaware that’s against Bob’s rules. Just by asking about a dog, Bob declares a 30-day hex has befallen them. Constantly mistreated by Bob, Nadine challenges Bob’s authority by breaking one of his rules, and this has disastrous results, including a botched hospital robbery.
In response, Bob decides it’s time to clean up, but no one else wants to, so the crew bails, including Diane. He enrolls in a methadone program and gets a job in a machine shop. He moves into a hotel where he befriends defrocked priest Father Tom (played by famed drug addict/author William S. Burroughs, who legitimizes the film his imprimatur). Bob does his best to stay clean, but his old life keeps creeping back.
The screenplay by Van Sant and Daniel Yost is Drugstore Cowboy’s strength. Whether a drug user or not, the plot engages the viewer with inevitable but not obvious turns. The cast does a great job inhabiting the characters with honest portrayals that neither glamorizes nor demonizes their choices.
The liner notes state, “Supervised and approved by director Gus Van Sant and director Robert Yeoman, this new 4K restoration was created from a 35 mm interpositive.” The video has been given a 1080p/MPEG-4 AVC encoded transfer displayed at the film’s original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The image captures the earth-tone colors and dreariness of Pacific Northwest. Blacks are inky. Focus is sharp and texture details are on display. Film grain is apparent and increases during scenes shot on 16 mm.
The audio is LPCM 2.0. Dialogue is consistently clear. Composer Elliot Goldenthal’s score and the songs used come through with good fidelity. Ambient effects augment scenes. Subwoofer contribution is minimal.
The Special Features are:
- Audio commentary track recorded in 2001 by Van Zant and Dillon
- The Making of Drugstore Cowboy (28 min) – A 1999 documentary shot by John J. Campbell during production features interviews with the cast and crew.
- Kelly Lynch (21 min) – A new interview of the actress who speaks about the role and her real-life experiences with addiction.
- Robert Yeoman (19 min) – A new interview with the cinematographer
- Deleted Scenes (52 min) – A look at 10 scenes
- Trailer
Drugstore Cowboy is one of those small, independent films that is so good, it’s a surprise that it wasn’t in the Criterion Collection sooner. Van Sant did a marvelous job bringing Fogle’s story to the screen. The Criterion Blu-ray delivers a satisfying, audio-visual experience and the extras provide welcome insight.
