Dallas Buyers Club

-Thank You. -Fuck off! Breaking Good? Not entirely. Dallas Buyers Club is surprisingly not an emotionally manipulative drama about the belated awakening of a homophobe. It is rather a sober film – in terms of both form and content – that instead of glorifying Woodroof, admits that this cowboy did not deserve any exaggerated compassion even after he contracted AIDS. The effort taken to not harp on the protagonist’s suffering and to simply depict him corresponds to the objectiveness of the form (filming without additional artificial lighting, documentary-style asymmetrical shot compositions, non-evocative use of music). If the film isn’t emotionally cold,  that’s particularly due to the gaunt McConaughey, who lost approximately 20 kilos for his role as Woodroof. Even though he plays only a shadow of his heroes from other films, he never loses the sparkle in his eye. The way that he combines inordinate self-confidence, blatant impudence and admirable tenacity makes the protagonist an ideal campaigner against the (medical) establishment, which expects nothing more from its nemesis, who personifies the indomitable nature of American ambition, than the fact that he will soon die. Also fascinating especially for his physical transformation is Jared Leto, whose scenes with McConaughey are remotely reminiscent of Midnight Cowboy, another film that didn’t take itself too seriously and, on the other hand, neither revelled in its serious subject matter nor trivialised it. 75% (11/01/2014)

It's basically just another entry in a long line of biopics about an individual's struggle against the rest of society, which also rather lacks a greater sympathy for the contradictory and sinful main character. However, the sly McConaughey gives a wonderful performance that is so convincing and chilling in its scope and detail that it alone secures the film's status as a thought-provoking and noble tale. And he’s strongly supported by Jared Leto, who looks absolutely terrible, but no other actor today could probably portray his difficult role so impressively. A small actor's film that has its value at first, but watching it again seems as pointless as forcing Keira Knightley to start eating meat.)) Also, Jennifer Garner is so cute! 75% (24/02/2014)

This is actually some proper film-making craftsmanship. Matthew delivers an almost perfect acting performance and Jared Leto has no problems keeping up with him. They both play people infected with the HIV virus. But they don’t merely portray them, they truly experience the characters. Matthew is getting skinny right before our very eyes. And Jared, skinny as he already is, changes the color of his skin in a pretty scary manner. I tip my hat off to them for this. With Jared, I’m really fascinated by how far he is willing to go. Since he is a singer, I don’t think he can afford to change his body weight so radically. I’d really love to know whether this affected his musical career in any way. If nothing else, he proves what an actor he truly is. If I was on the Oscars committee, I would have a clear idea of whom to give the golden statues. Matthew proved in 2013 just what good an actor he is and Jared put on such a show that if I were to see him in another movie, I’d think that he’s crazy. But as I said… a tip of my hat. You will find the story repulsive at first, gradually, you will notice the changes in the way the characters act. And these individual moments will keep on piling up until you get to the ending and you will realize that you won’t get to see such radical a transformation in many movies. (06/02/2014)

A very intense film about people with an expired warranty and how the state treats them. As I have first-hand experience with this subject, it is very close to my heart and the writer and director have handled it really well. I'm pleased to see that Matthew McConaughey, after all the disasters he's been in, is back to proper acting, further exemplified by True Detective. An excellent film with a very depressing atmosphere and no unnecessary melodrama. Exactly what I needed. (14/08/2016)

This independent American film project similar to Leaving Las Vegas or Boys Don’t Cry is based on a story about an interesting outsider and his excellent portrayal. Exploring the personality of the main character in detail, it is a captivating movie experience that doesn’t let you turn your eyes away from the screen. The transformation of McConaughey’s Ron Woodroof from an arrogant chauvinist redneck into an understanding and desperate, yet persistent fighter for not just his life is the most powerful character study of recent years. The creators of this movie are modest, minimalist, do not rely on acting eccentricities or technical and visual enhancements; they focus only on telling the story by the most classic means, with an open and sensitive approach to the topic. The film is fantastically written and directed. In terms of morality, Woodroof is the exact opposite of Jordan Belfort and I’m afraid that DiCaprio has no chance against McConaughey with the Academy. (30/01/2014)