Review of Dallas Buyers Club (2013) by Mike D — 20 Jun 2015

Matthew McConaughey has solidified himself as one of our generations's most distinct actors, and his portrayal of the HIV-positive Texan bad boy in Jean-Marc Vallee's 'Dallas Buyers Club" is one of the most obvious examples of this. The film, which revolves around the very serious topic of the AIDS outbreak in the mid-1980s and the surrounding controversy with pharmaceutical companies and investigational drugs to treat the disease. What 'Buyers' does particularly well is it looks at the crisis through the eyes of an unlikely participant who becomes a lightning rod thanks to his creative way of getting patients access to potentially life-saving therapies.

As a film, 'Buyers' rarely causes the audience to lose interest. A large part of this is due to the standout acting performances from McConaughey (the aforementioned Ron Woodroof), Jared Leto (as a transsexual AIDS patient who befriends Woodroof) and Jennifer Garner (as a morals-driven clinician). Throughout the film, there are plenty of scenes that are as dramatic as they are sincere. Seeing Woodroof undergo a major change in character over the duration of 'Buyers' is definitely interesting, and well done. In terms of the filmography, there is some unique camerawork here, and the film editing actually stands out in a good way. Additionally, the dialogue serves as an important tool in the film, as the colloquial characteristics of southern-speak adds more flavor to everything.

'Dallas Buyers Club' is a story of tragedy and triumph, and the acting performances - which earned a few academy awards - are alone worth a watch.