Drugstore Cowboy – Criterion

Director: Gus Van Sant
Screenplay: Gus Van Sant and Daniel Yost
Starring: Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch, James Remar, James LeGros and Heather Graham
Country: United States
Running Time: 102 min
Year: 1989

There are few filmmakers out there with the variety in their repertoire like Gus Van Sant. He’s the man behind Good Will Hunting, the divisive Psycho remake, indie darling My Own Private Idaho, biopic Milk and the dark comedy To Die For. When I heard news that Criterion had nabbed the rights to one of his earliest works, Drugstore Cowboy, I was ecstatic given how difficult this one had been to find on Blu-ray for the longest time. There’s an Australian Blu-ray but thanks to Criterion, not only was this getting a new director approved Blu-ray, but also a UHD disc too for the very first time. I checked the film out for the first time back in 2020 and was eager to revisit it, so requested a disc and here we are… 

Drugstore Cowboy was Van Sant’s second feature, after the micro-budget feature Mala Noche introduced the world to the filmmaker. It follows a series of drug addicted criminals who target local drug stores in the area to get their fix. Led by Bob (Matt Dillion) and Dianne (Kelly Lynch), alongside their partners in crime Rick (James LeGros) and Nadine (Heather Graham), the film follows the group along their escapades and the tragedy that comes with it. 

I remember finding myself floored by Drugstore Cowboy on my initial watch, and while it didn’t quite hit the same for me on a second viewing, the authenticity in how it treats the addicted characters is something that still impressed me this time around. Each character feels real, less a performance and more akin to a fly-on-the-wall documentary centred on people who can’t help the situation they’re in. Van Sant injects comedy into the film, so it’s not entirely bleak, and when it’s present, it really works. 

Dillion is the star of the show, delivering a performance that’s both charismatic and tragic in equal measure, with Graham’s Nadine offering some of the film’s most shocking sequences. There’s a certain narrative element in the second act  involving her character that completely hooks the viewer, and it’s great stuff. The score by Elliot Goldenthal is abrasive and makes you feel like you’re losing your mind, which works wonders with the gorgeous cinematography by Wes Anderson regular Robert Yeoman. In the technical department, it’s an incredible feature that feels far more confident than most sophomore features out there. 

For me, I found myself a little unengaged with the last act of the film, which I won’t spoil here but despite having one of my favourite cameo appearances from a notorious drug user (you’ll know when you see it), the film’s pacing suffers greatly and didn’t keep me quite as interested in what was going on.

The film’s really good, but like I previously mentioned, it didn’t quite wow me on a second viewing. It’s an impressive effort that has excellent moments, but doesn’t stick the landing after a pretty solid first two acts. Check it out if it sounds up your alley.

Film:  

Drugstore Cowboy released on 4K UHD and Blu-ray March 10th via the Criterion Collection. I viewed the UHD disc for the feature and the Blu-ray for the extras. The 4K restoration included on this disc is excellent and is provided without an HDR grade. Typically, this would result in missed potential on a UHD disc but even without HDR, this disc is stunning to look at. Criterion’s usual high bitrates and stellar image quality make this a treat on UHD. There’s one audio mix, a 2.0 stereo track and it sounds pretty good. Optional English subtitles are included. A very solid A/V presentation from Criterion. The following extras are included: 

DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Gus Van Sant and director of photography Robert Yeoman, with uncompressed stereo soundtrack

One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features

Audio commentary featuring Van Sant and actor Matt Dillon

The Making of “Drugstore Cowboy,” featuring interviews with Van Sant and members of the cast and crew

New interviews with Yeoman and actor Kelly Lynch

Deleted scenes

Trailer

English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

PLUS: An essay by author and screenwriter Jon Raymond

New cover by F. Ron Miller

The audio commentary with Van Sant and Matt Dillon was recorded in 2001 for the DVD release of Drugstore Cowboy and it’s a decent track. The pair recount their experiences making the film and offer an insightful and fun track, packed full of anecdotes and other behind-the-scenes information you’d expect from a track like this.

The Making of “Drugstore Cowboy” is an archival documentary from 1999, which features a range of actors and crew members talking about their experiences working on the film, with on set-footage included too. It runs for 28 minutes and is an interesting making-of documentary that I’d say is worth checking out.

The two new interviews are solid, with Kelly Lynch’s running for 20 minutes and highlighting her passion for the role, her experiences with addiction and the perception of drug addicts and what makes Drugstore Cowboy so authentic. The Robert Yeoman interview runs for 19 minutes and features the cinematographer talking about his time shooting the film. Both of these interviews are exclusive to this release and are worth watching.

Over 50 minutes of deleted scenes are included, which seem to be sourced from a workprint copy of the film. It’s great to see these, as I believe they’ve never made it on to a home media release before.

A trailer is also included.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t provided with the essay.

Criterion’s release of Drugstore Cowboy is another great disc from them, offering a solid A/V presentation and a good selection of extras to compliment the film. Fans will love this release. Highly recommended.

Disc/Packaging:  

Where to watch Drugstore Cowboy