Drugstore Cowboy is the story of Bob (Matt Dillon) and his group of friends/partners in crime and addiction. Most important to him, is his wife, Dianne. The two have been seeing each other since they were kids, developing a system together to exist in the world. Her role is usually backing up his reasoning or pulling him back to reality if he's talking too crazy. This system relies on drugs, the glue that holds their relationship together. They share addiction and so are partners in the robberies that feed it. When we first meet them, robbery is approached as mundanely as any day job. This is what they've always done, and they've never tried another way when they could help it (or, as long as they're not in prison.)
Bob and Diane have another couple working with them, Rick, a quiet guy who enjoys the camaraderie and sees no need to "rock the boat" as long as the scores are keeping him happy, and Nadine (Heather Graham) the youngest of them, a troubled girl who resents everything that Bob does, especially giving her a smaller cut than himself from every job based on her contribution and the fact that she has a comparatively low tolerance. Bob is the head of the crew and isn't bashful about acting like it.
They function pretty efficiently at the start. We see one of their jobs in action, Nadine fakes a seizure at a pharmacy, giving Bob a chance to get behind the counter and grab everything that he can. Then they're off to their temporary rented room to split things up. Everything goes off without a hitch, the system at it's peak. Of course, as Bob soon reminds Dianne, "It's like a crap game, when you're hot you shoot everything, you shoot the works, when you're cold you lay off a bit." The trouble they have like any serious gambler, is that they're incapable of quitting while they're still ahead. They'll try to beat the house until they lose enough that they have no choice but to sit back awhile. The idea of "Luck" is a huge part of the film, most obviously in Bob's fear of "hexes." Bob and Dianne have a talk about their luck and she points out that there were plenty of times when what seemed like bad luck was actually good luck, like a flat tire keeping them from getting busted. Certainly, in the film, you could say they have some luck going both ways. An elderly neighbor luckily tips them off to police surveillance, possibly preventing them from bringing home the spoils of a heist and serving some serious time. Bob uses the information to "teach a lesson" to the cops, which only results in a build up of enmity and another serious enemy. If they had used the information more wisely, perhaps it would seem like better luck, but Bob's nature requires him to push his luck. Just like his drug habit, he doesn't know there's any other way.
Certainly, Bob would say he was lucky to stumble across a closed Pharmacy on the road, that scored them some Dilaudid. But if that job hadn't happened, Nadine wouldn't have had that particular fit, felt compelled to put a hat on the bed, or had the opportunity to keep some for herself, or end up left alone to OD with it. Of course we can reason that it could as easily have happened later, and that's true. This makes luck only the result of selective hindsight, and how far back it extends. If you kept the chain of events going long enough you could certainly find many variations of bad to good to bad to good, depending in large part on your bias when examining the events. Even Nadine's death, could be made to look like "good luck" if the intended outcome was getting Bob to clean up. All the possible variations you could read are no doubt baffling. Luck is just another word for "the unpredictable." which seems to be the problem that plagues Bob more than any other. To Bob, every day life is not knowing what will happen next. As he mentions at the end, "See, most people, they don't know how they're gonna feel from one minute to the next, but a dope fiend has a pretty good idea. All you got to do is look at the labels on the little bottles." Having very little control over "what happens" his drugs give him control over how he feels about it. But, of course, he hasn't worked out how to be high twenty four hours a day as this would leave him unable to procure more supply.
While "DrugStore Cowboy" is very much about drugs and problems related to drug addiction, it never comes across as a PSA type movie. Bob and many others have drug related troubles, but the problem pointed to is life as much as it is drugs. Gentry doesn't want to arrest Bob and his crew for possession, he wants them for robbery, even feeling that a possession charge isn't worth his effort. ob isn't just into "drugs" as he tells the worker at the Methadone clinic. "Look, lady, I'm a junkie. I like drugs. I like the whole lifestyle, but it just didn't pay off." He likes being against the system, not having to work for a living, being in charge of a crew, and even a sense of family from having his crew around him." Yet, he knows, as far as luck goes that his lifestyle is a losing bet. He admits in the opening "But I guess deep down, I knew we could never win. We played a game you couldn't win, to the utmost." He feels more empowered the longer he makes the losing bet pay off, but eventually it has to end. Certainly finding one of your crew dead after barely escaping arrest, and then having to get her body into your trunk while all the attendees of a Sheriff's convention watch could easily provoke some self examination about the value of your hand.
Yet, we see Father Murphy elderly and unapologetic about his addiction. He takes methadone as a matter of practicality. He's not a robber like Bob and doesn't have the income to support his habit. He resents the idea that drugs are "demonized." As he tells Bob, "The idea that anyone can use drugs and escape a horrible fate is the method of these idiots. I predict in the near future. right wingers will use drug hysteria as a pretext to set up an international police apparatus." Although some may feel that Father Tom lives a horrible fate, he doesn't seem to agree. Most of the junkies we meet here don't meet horrible fates withing the time that the movie occurs. Even Bob, who is shot at the end, is hoping they can keep him alive. Whether the shooting was bad luck or good luck, will likely depend on what happens next. Nadine met a horrible fate, but Rick and Dianne just keep going the way they always have. We don't know what will happen to any of them, and that I think is the point. While drugs here come across as problem causing, they're not the only problem, but an inadequate means of dealing with bigger problems. While this movie isn't an anti drug PSA, neither is it a pro drug PSA. The drugs are a problem, the same way that robbery is, it may be a means to an end but there are penalties attached. Rather than sermonizing we see these characters at a particular point in time and draw our own conclusions from them. Other than one pointed barb at the ridiculousness of government drug wars, (done via that one character,) there's no attempt at a solution.
Matt Dillon was a perfect choice to play Bob, as he's played similar characters many times, the rebellious outsider, who is outwardly brash but more sensitive than he would like, could be the evolution of the characters he played in the S.E. Hinton adaptations, only without the safety net or resolution those stories typically offered. He's convincing as a guy who has absolutely no idea what he's doing, but is very good at faking it. He also projects a kind of decency that makes it hard to tune him out even when he's doing the dumbest imaginable. We're happy when he straightens out, but it's too much to ask, that his past has no consequences. He constantly reasons everything out, trying to put two and two together. It's ok, that he was shot, he rationalizes, because he had to pay his debt to the hat. However, it's as likely that he was shot because he humiliated David, or simply because he knows David, who happens to be leaning toward psychopath, with the knowledge that Bob always has drugs. We can't say for sure, as usual there are too many variables. If one thing had gone differently, if he hadn't given Father Murphy the drugs then perhaps he would've been spared. But then, perhaps Bob would've tried to keep them anyway to spite David. We can't know any more than we can know if the hat on the bed was a hex or a sign, or just something that happened with no significance at all except to provide an explanation when things went bad.
Kelly Lynch is also terrific. Her Dianne, despite her drug problem is perhaps the strongest character in the film. She has no interest at all in stopping her addiction. She loves drugs more than anything. As Bob says , "Dianne was my wife. I loved her. Yeah, and she loved dope, so we made a good couple." The rapport between Dianne and Bob is very effective, and we can believe they've been together their whole lives. While she typically agrees with Bob, her opinion has as much weight as his when she disagrees. In their final scene together, while they're not reuniting, you can see the history between them. These are people that know each other very well, and will always have concern for each other, whether it's useful or not is irrelevant. We see that while she doesn't understand what Bob is doing, she is happy for him in a way.James LeGros does a fine job as the sidekick, competent enough, but comfortable in Bob's shadow. Heather Graham gives a terrific performance. her brief time on screen has drastic effects on everyone. She's the "hat" character, bad luck for everyone and utterly unpredictable. Her problem with authority is as deep as Bob's but more overtly self destructive. James Remar is the most satisfying surprise though. His portrayal of Officer Gentry, and his back and forth with Bob, tells us much about the character. While he is determined to arrest Bob, he is also legitimately concerned for his welfare. Bob and Dianne are a part of his world, and while they're adversaries, much like Bob's mother, he doesn't hate them, as much as he wants them to wise up. He's a remarkably full character for the little time he's on screen.
It shouldn't be a surprise that was a breakthrough film for Gus Van Sant, as it's a truly remarkable film. The decision to tell the story strictly through the characters and what happens to them is a brave one and brought out fantastic performances. The settings seem natural and suited to the character's lifestyles, not calling attention to the shots but adding to the film nonetheless. The different rented rooms and the different styles of pharmacies, show us that despite a regular method there's a lot to know in this world. Things are dirty but not always dark, just like Bob's belief in luck, which provides hope until it doesn't anymore.
"Drugstore Cowboy" is based on a semi autobiographical work of James Fogle, whose novel cam out after the film was popular. While in my opinion, a film is a completely different animal than a novel it's based on, it should be noted that while Fogle created memorable characters, he never succeeded in going straight, dying in prison at 75 years old while serving a 16 year sentence for robbery. Whether that's a statement on the power or drugs, or just the unfortunate circumstances of one man's chosen actions is your call. I don't know enough about him to say anything conclusively, other than the fact that some people have a hard time dealing with life, and in this case drugs and robbery ended with prison. Whatever similarities they had, he wasn't Bob from the film. Who knows what happened to him? At least we have an interesting story to talk about. That's one of the great things about good film, it often outlasts the inspiration that started it and even if it does nothing to solve a problem, looking at what it does is a good start. People still take drugs, and even get irrevocably hooked on them. As Bob said, "Nobody, and I mean nobody, can talk a junkie out of using. You can talk to 'em for years but sooner or later they're gonna get a hold of something. Maybe it's not dope, maybe it's booze, maybe it's glue, maybe it's gasoline. Maybe it's a gunshot to the head. But something, something to relieve the pressures of their everyday life, like having to tie their shoes." That's as true now as it ever was, although sometimes drugs end up being "the" problem, they're typically just another failed attempt a solution, the illusion of control at least for a short while. People will do anything to believe they have some control over the game.
"DrugStore Cowboy" is not a film that will entice anyone to be a junkie, but neither will it convince you that life is easy or predictable, junkie or no. The junk is the vehicle that puts these characters where they are, the thing that helps bind them and at other times helps drive them apart. It's a system that's a lot like luck, you can try to figure it out but it changes every time you look again. Bob says "You can't buck the dark forces that lie hidden beneath the surface, the ones some people call superstitions, howling banshees, black cats, hats on beds, dogs, the evil eye." There's so little we can predict, and I'm sure anyone can understand wanting a life that's more predictable or fair. Certainly avoiding robbery and drug habits would seem a step in that direction, but it isn't entirely a logical problem and certainly an addict doesn't always see a choice. I'm sure everyone knows someone addicted to something, and none of them set out to be addicts. Bad things can happen to us all, drug problem or no, hat on the bed or no. Drugs are popular for a reason, because life can be hard to cope with. Eliminating everything that has obvious negative consequences may not even be possible. People are more complicated than that. I don't know if there's an answer to coping with life, but we do what we can, sometimes it works, others not so much. While I'm not superstitious, and can see superstition as a justification, I won't throw a hat on the bed just to try my luck. "DrugStory Cowboy" is a great look at some very real characters, trying to figure it out, without the best skills to do so.
What Happens?
We open looking at Bob (Matt Dillon) our main character laying in an ambulance looking pretty rough. He narrates over nostalgic home video: "I was once a shameless full-time dope fiend. Yeah, me, Bob, the sweet Mother's son. Me and my crew robbed drug stores. I had done 'em all, up and down the Pacific Northwest, with pharmacies opened or closed. It didn't matter, except the technique. But, don't get the idea it was easy. It's hard being a dope fiend, and it's even harder, running a crew. Dianne (Kelly Lynch) was my wife. I loved her. Yeah, and she loved dope, so we made a good couple. Whenever I got out of the joint I always ended up with Diane. Rick (James LeGros) was my sidekick, my muscle. He was no novice to the life of crime. His record showed a steady climb from juvenile offender to small time thief. He was gonna do just fine. Nadine (Heather Graham) was Rick's old lady, a counter girl he'd picked up doing one of our jobs. She was a piece of work. She had no record, just a smile that caught us all a little off guard. I was the undisputed leader then. I carried the whole goddamn outfit on my back like it was my own newborn son. But I guess deep down, I knew we could never win. We played a game you couldn't win, to the utmost."
