Dallas Buyers Club
★★★★
Dir: Jean-Marc Vallée
(2013)
The pinnacle of Matthew McConaughey's recent run of blistering performances is undoubtably here in Jean-Marc Vallée's incredible true story of Ron Woodroof; An alcoholic, drug addled, homophobe who, after contracting the H.I.V virus in the mid 80's, began to run a back yard pharmacy; Selling banned combinations of drugs from the world over for the treatment of the disease. It's a bold and uncomfortable performance from the actor whose decline and relapse is perfectly mapped by Vallée and writers Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack. Put simply, McConaughey is brilliant in almost every shot in the film; His best role yet which will surely earn him an Academy Award nomination and in our opinion a long-awaited win.
The sex and cocaine fuelled nights in the back alleys of a dark hot Texas are the focus of the films kinetic introduction; It's an uncomfortable first blast of Woodroof's tenacious and destructive character which goes into hyperdrive once he's told about his contraction of the virus. Apparently, with only 30 days left to live his denial takes him to much darker places and in a desperate attempt to keep H.I.V at bay he begins to bribe a hospital porter for a new treatment drug, opening the doors for Woodroof to begin his hunt for alternate medicine and to start taking memberships for the new Dallas Buyers Club.
Vallée's film isn't just McConaughey though; There's fantastic support from Dr. Jennifer Garner in her best role for years and an unrecognisable Jared Leto as Rayon, a drag queen and would be partner for Woodroof, whose energy and charisma is at odds with the cowboy's rougher side. Leto also turns in the performance of his career after a long hiatus fronting his rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. Music fans will also recognise Deerhunter's Bradford Cox as Rayon's on off boyfriend.
Vallée's visual direction is loose and free, the cast are impeccable but it's obviously McConaughey's show. Though weight loss for roles is often a shoo-in for Oscar contenders (Leto is no stranger to it after his huge weight gain as Mark Chapman in Chapter 27) both Leto and McConaughey give more to their roles than just a physical commitment. Watching Woodroof face death alongside Rayon's bitchy, feckless joie de vivre is beautiful, sad and surprisingly, very funny; A masterful balancing act considering the films hard subject material.
