I have mixed feelings about the works of Gus Van Sant, I think his films are often very well-made, but they often don't work emotionally for me. And even though this film didn't work entirely for me, I do think this is by far the best film I've seen from him. This was an interesting and emotional take on the druggie, with the druggies in this film having much more complexity than the average drug addict depicted in film. And Van Sant's dreamy and hazy imagery works at its best with Robert Yeoman, my favorite cinematographer, working on the film. Matt Dillon gives an incredible performance as always. And I was really amazed by how complex all of these characters are, with so many hopes and aspirations beyond getting another hit. And I must add on that this film has one of the better opening credit sequences that I've seen. Drugstore Cowboy is Gus Van Sant at his best, with his style working towards making this intricate, smart, and emotional take of drug addiction.

Taking place in 1971 starring Kevin Dillon and Kelly Lynch This centers on Bob Hughes, he leads a family of drug addicts He’s estranged from his mother and only lives to sell and distribute by robbing drug stores across the states The feds are also on his case considering he got a fellow officer shot Once tragedy happens Bob must choose to go straight and stop using So many trippy visuals, the film has a grey colorless streak going on, and pulls the viewer into the empty drug-fueled world from Bob’s point of view It’s sad though because the real plot doesn’t kick in until after 1 hour and Kelly Lynch disappears for the rest of the runtime It doesn’t really end on a happy note either making it all the more confusing But for those wondering what a drug user sees on a daily basis it gives an offering how things can get messy real fast

Definitely worth a watch if your into 90s crime/drug movies. The soundtrack was lacking but that's the only flaw.

The setting, the characters, and the experiences they go through feel all too real. Matt Dillon is a treasure and blended perfectly into Gus' experimental filmmaking style. Drugstore Cowboy is bleak. but filled with a tinge of hope, just enough to make it another day in this crazy world.

Watched in 2024, it's a 35 years old film but still looks fairly fresh. maybe one of the prominent first point of view voice-over narrate film. you can expect what's gonna happen by seeing the beginning.

A classic example of an independent production from the 80's-90's. One of the films, or maybe the film that put Gus Van Sant in the map

35 years after its release, Drugstore Cowboy is still a relevant watch about addiction. Not only that, it's a tightly scripted story with excellent direction by Gus van Sandt. William Burroughs is the cherry on top of Matt Dillon's excellent performance (read Naked Lunch).

It's okay but got kind of long. I'd never want to watch it again.

Matt Dillon's character is based off of my grandfather Thomas Ward. My grandpa Tom was friends with the author of the book that this movie originates from. I've never seen this movie but it's cool knowing that my grandfather was played by Matt Dillon

I have NO idea where this high rating comes from. This movie is awful all around. Really, really bad. AVOID

It's a bleak, fatalistic drug movie about petty criminals and the depths to which a junkie will stoop. It's done in the signature realism style of Gus Van Sant, and Matt Dillon delivers a dynamite performance.

Drugstore Cowboy, an early offering from director Gus Van Sant, follows a gang of prescription drug addicts as they roam America's Northwest in search of pharmacies to rob, all while trying to avoid the authorities. Matt Dillon is excellent as the leader of the foursome, as are Heather Graham and James Le Gros as his proteges. Unfortunately, Kelly Lynch is wooden, as she so often is, as Dillon's love interest. It's a tough and gritty film, but is not without its share of uncomfortable laughs (the dropping of the corpse from the attic) to keep things somewhat light. Van Sant makes some interesting, if not always successful, directorial decisions, including some odd extreme close-ups (a cigarette being lit, the wattage details of a lightbulb as it is being turned on). Despite Lynch's performance and Van Sant's excesses, it's about as enjoyable a film about addiction as you could imagine.

One of the best movies of this generation (late 80's/early 90's). The quad go around robbing drugstores for pain meds (diludid, oxy, etc) and pharmaceutical cocaine. A death occurs and Dillion makes a deal with God if he gets away he will go clean. A fine example of decay to redemption.

A singular film full of pain, humor, fear, and perseverance. Truly deserving of 100%

dissapointed, really not that great of a film or ending to it. but a great performance from the cast

Me: "Ah yes, the drugs. As a lifelong snorter of weed and smoker of oxy, I empathize with these characters." A cynical and offbeat crime film that takes a different stance from many of the closer modern genre equivalents (which seem to have taken cues from heist and mystery films in their need to gradually develop some sort of hidden strategy or double-cross to keep the audience's attention to the end), Drugstore Cowboy focuses on a slapdash crew whose sole shared character trait is the need to get high. Their strategies have this authentic, organic quality to them as a result, avoiding cinemtaic embellishment in favor of depicting a chemical volatility that can be either oddly brilliant or simple, depending on the needs of the situation; the score is all that matters. The story is far from the most innovative take on addiction ever put to film, but has well-designed characters supported by a strong cast, and tight direction creates the appropriate 'fast living' aesthetic to stitch it all together. It's not a personal favorite, but hard to find much to complain about. Great to see the Beat Generation founder himself, William S. Burroughs, in a convincing film role so late in life that doesn't feel forced, particularly given his prominent lifelong heroin usage. Love the potshots at Reagan-era policy. (3.5/5)

Hasn't aged well. Terrible dialogue, stiff acting.

Only mildly trippy and only mildly entertaining. It has a few decent moments but otherwise feels very ordinary. Not sure how it had built a reasonable reputation.

10-20 years ahead of it's time. A little tame next to similar fair of the the 21st century, but contains some fascinating, novel-like elements that films would ignore all together (like Father Tom). Some interesting shot composition. Probably the only acting I've seen Kelly Lynch actually do. Feels like an early Tarantino film sans the snappy dialogue.

A: 3/5 E: 4/5 R: 8.5/10