Drugstore Cowboy
Drugstore Cowboy
•
1h 42m
Directed by Gus Van Sant • 1989 • United States
Starring Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch, James Remar
Gus Van Sant’s dreamy, drifty, deadpan second feature—an addiction drama based on James Fogle’s autobiographical novel—captures the zonked-out textures and almost surreal absurdity of a life lived fix to fix. Swinging between dope-fueled disconnection and edgy paranoia, Matt Dillon plays the leader of a ragtag crew (also featuring Kelly Lynch, Heather Graham, and James Le Gros) that robs pharmacies for pills, coasting across the 1970s Pacific Northwest while trying to outrun sobriety and fate. With a brilliant supporting turn from counterculture high priest William S. Burroughs and a lyrical feeling for the streetscapes of Van Sant’s hometown of Portland, Oregon, DRUGSTORE COWBOY cemented the director’s status as a preeminent poet of outsiderhood.
Up Next in Drugstore Cowboy
-
DRUGSTORE COWBOY Commentary
This commentary track, recorded in 2001, features director Gus Van Sant and actor Matt Dillon.
-
The Making of DRUGSTORE COWBOY
This 1999 documentary—shot by John J. Campbell during production in Portland, Oregon—features interviews with director Gus Van Sant, actors Matt Dillon and William S. Burroughs, and other members of the cast and crew.
-
Kelly Lynch on DRUGSTORE COWBOY
In this 2024 interview, actor Kelly Lynch talks about playing the role of Dianne in DRUGSTORE COWBOY and her real-life experiences with addiction.
