Drugstore Cowboy

[DarthPerineum]

Just rented and watched this movie. All i can really say is wow. What an awesome movie, Its about this couple and their friends who are all junkies who go around stealing from pharmacies to keep their habit going. Has anyone else seen it? The main character "Bob" played by Matt Dillon i think plays an great junkie. My concern for it was will he over or under play being high? Well i thought he nailed it, talking slower eyes kinda droopy, not stoned either and occasionally scratched his face or something else. I thought the movie was great and plan on popping it back in tomorrow to see about catching things i didn't notice. Oh and Billy Burroughs plays a character in it too!


Anyone else want to share some thoughts?


-Gooch

[is_today_monday]

I have this movie on DVD, have watched it a couple of times. I thought it was alright - as much as I love junky movies, and must have them in my collection, I don't find that they are especially unique after a while. That said, I thought it was a good watch - the fact that their habit was mainly phamaceuticals was a nice plot - a change from the usual heroin movies. Let's face it, many opiophiles aren't heroin users, and could probably relate just that bit more with the whole pill thing.

[Woowoo]

It's a goodie!!

And the way that he arranged that cop's death--OMG, I love that scene. Pure brilliance. I mean, I always like scenes were cops get killed, but I can't think of many movies where I've been cheering for the "bad guy" so earnestly.

[pharmboy]

Yea Great movie, I wish the world was still so drug nieve as things were
back then.
I thought the little speach Father Tom gave Bob when Bob asked about
the guards shooting him up in prison hit the nail right on the head. :cool:

[mrnatural]

Yeah. I really enjoyed it-thought Matt Dillon did a superb job. when he freaked and decided to hide the girl's body in the attic through the ceiling panels-I couldn't help but laugh out loud. I was almost on the recipient end of a similar situation in 1999- but my 'friends' dumped me outside an ER fortunately. That precipitated the longest clean time (9 months) that I've had since 1966. Like to re-watch the flick-haven't seen it in several years.

[nick]

It was the "hat" and the TV baby."

Still,I'm on my way to the hospital........the biggest pharmacy in town.

[zenpunk]

Just put it on my netflix list ... can't believe I've never seen it.

[stringbeanjeans]

This has long been one of my favorite movies. I think it's brilliant. I really love how the logic of the movie becomes ruled by superstition once you find out why Bob & Diane won't get a dog. Everything that Bob is superstitious about comes true. Some people complain about the last third of the movie slowing down, but I think this movie's close to perfect if you ask me.

What does everyone think? Does Bob live or die in the end? I'm sure you could argue either way.

[GoddessofRATs]

oops forgot to say that i love that movie. I want to watch it again.

Good idea, I'm gonna put it on my Netflix as well. What are someother good druggie movies to rent?

Goddessofrats


Just put it on my netflix list ... can't believe I've never seen it.

[DarthPerineum]

This has long been one of my favorite movies. I think it's brilliant. I really love how the logic of the movie becomes ruled by superstition once you find out why Bob & Diane won't get a dog. Everything that Bob is superstitious about comes true. Some people complain about the last third of the movie slowing down, but I think this movie's close to perfect if you ask me.

What does everyone think? Does Bob live or die in the end? I'm sure you could argue either way.



I was having this same debate the other day after watching it. I really cant decided which i think.

[dirtdog]

oops forgot to say that i love that movie. I want to watch it again.

Good idea, I'm gonna put it on my Netflix as well. What are someother good druggie movies to rent?

Goddessofrats

SPUN
Salton Sea-fucking awesome
Scanner Darkly-makes you feel like youre on acid

[MttJocy]

SPUN
Salton Sea-fucking awesome
Scanner Darkly-makes you feel like youre on acid
A Scanner Darkly, I know the film, interesting I think.

[Paregoric Kid]

the guy didn't kill the cop, he just got injured. in the book it said the cop got his dick blown off. great movie, one of my all time favorites.

"I know what you're going to do about Trousinski. You're going to have to stand around rest rooms for the rest of your life blocking for him while he relieves himself, so no one else will get a chance to see the damage a 12-gauge shotgun can do to a man's penis at close range."

Bob lives, it is a true story, Bob's real name is James Fogle; he wrote the book while he was in prison and he's still alive.

[nick]

But what about the hat and the TV baby.....where are they?

[WarmCyanide]

shame on anyone who doesnt realize the Wm S Burroughs cameo. i love heather graham. until she put the goddamn hat on the bed.

i love imdb as well

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097240/

[stringbeanjeans]

the guy didn't kill the cop, he just got injured. in the book it said the cop got his dick blown off. great movie, one of my all time favorites.

"I know what you're going to do about Trousinski. You're going to have to stand around rest rooms for the rest of your life blocking for him while he relieves himself, so no one else will get a chance to see the damage a 12-gauge shotgun can do to a man's penis at close range."

Bob lives, it is a true story, Bob's real name is James Fogle; he wrote the book while he was in prison and he's still alive.

I know James Fogle's alive. The movie's not meant to be an exact duplicate of the book though. I don't think Gus Van Sant wants us to believe that Bob is alive just cause the story's from a living author. He treats the Bob character as a different entity or else he would have named him James. Right? I haven't read the book, so I might just be full of bullshit, but I think you can debate this either way.

[halfalien_s4]

i agree towards about the middle of the movie it starts to slow down a bit. but over all i believe its still a great movie! i have it on disc and on one of my computers...

[Ragdoll]

Drugstore Cowboy is pure brilliance and spot on with regard to the era and characterizations. The book is not so amusing; it's tougher to read because it's just so sad.

Bob? I'm sorry to say that he dies.

Panic In Needle Park is AWESOME. Al Pacino's first or second film - I highly recommend it.

[Paregoric Kid]

his name was Bob in the book too. I think it is a semi-fictionalized autobiographical novel/film. I always got the impression he lived, but it's open to interpretation; maybe Bob is a composite character, but we know that the real person Bob is based on is the author and that a lot if not most of the story is stuff that really happened to him, so in reality Bob is alive through James but it's possible the fictional Bob did die. William Burroughs has a great cameo; Burroughs is a big influence on Gus Van Sant.

[Duckfeet]

I used to burglarize drugstores, a certain chain, a long time ago, back in N. Florida and other Gulf States, and these guys still kept all their class A's in the same area--this was before schedule 2's and DEA took over from BNDD. I thought this movie got the feel of it pretty good. We'd run in late at night, go to same area every time, w a couple pillow cases, and we were out...Kept dilaudids and such for ourselves, sold the rest.

I quit it, as last one we hit, it was empty, and we figured they were on to us. My partner got one more, and then got busted...like I had heard, it gets *good* to you, and u don't stop until yer cracked...


But I still think best alltime junky movie was "Adam and Paul" about two junkies in Dublin. It got that old feel just about right....

[oxydose]

Wonderland was a great movie IMHO, about the Wonderland murders (wiki it).

[stringbeanjeans]

I used to burglarize drugstores, a certain chain, a long time ago, back in N. Florida and other Gulf States, and these guys still kept all their class A's in the same area--this was before schedule 2's and DEA took over from BNDD. I thought this movie got the feel of it pretty good. We'd run in late at night, go to same area every time, w a couple pillow cases, and we were out...Kept dilaudids and such for ourselves, sold the rest.

I quit it, as last one we hit, it was empty, and we figured they were on to us. My partner got one more, and then got busted...like I had heard, it gets *good* to you, and u don't stop until yer cracked...


But I still think best alltime junky movie was "Adam and Paul" about two junkies in Dublin. It got that old feel just about right....


Be careful what you admit on here. You never know who's reading... Anyway, that sounds really interesting. I personally wouldn't have the balls to rob though. Video survellience and everything. no thanks. Maybe it was less risky back then? Maybe not, cause your friend got caught after all.

[nick]

Be careful what you admit on here. You never know who's reading... Anyway, that sounds really interesting. I personally wouldn't have the balls to rob though. Video survellience and everything. no thanks. Maybe it was less risky back then? Maybe not, cause your friend got caught after all.

That was then and this is now......only way to rob a drug store now is with a shotgun.


and I think DF is past the statute of limitations.

[stringbeanjeans]

How long is the statue of limitations on that sort of thing?

[GoddessofRATs]

I watched Drugstore Cowboy today. Ordered it from Netlix. I forgot what a great movie it was. I love when they find that Dilaudid powder. Made me drool lol.

Goddessofrats

[Duckfeet]

I forget, but I know there is one, and I'm past it.......yup!


and I think DF is past the statute of limitations.

[Duckfeet]

Nah, I'm well past it, but it's a good habit anyway. I was just showing off...a curse. One of the reasons I used the term "Class A's" as it's a tip that it happend long ago. Videos, stuff like that, weren't being used...typical "tape" alarm.

And I didn't have that much balls...just for the record, burglaries--way back then, anyway--were breaking and entering w/intent to commit felony, no weapon involved. when u use a weapon, then it's a "robbery."
A long time ago--they aren't around anymore, btw--one drugstore chain, kept all the class A's in the same place, so a couple of speedy boys could be in and out in less than 5 min, so we weren't worried about making noise, and no gun was needed. Nowadays robberies are much more common, and more deadly, of course.

And we knew it was getting hot--we were all over the area, and the tip was going to same place we'd always hit, and coming up empty. They were realizing that keeping all the "goodies" in same area was not that good an idea, I guess. My bud got a few years for this and sales of stuff, too, best I can remember. In later years, friend I had in the game, said now u had to get'em often out of a safe, and alarms are much more sophisticated....this was one time I was lucky.


Be careful what you admit on here. You never know who's reading... Anyway, that sounds really interesting. I personally wouldn't have the balls to rob though. Video survellience and everything. no thanks. Maybe it was less risky back then? Maybe not, cause your friend got caught after all.

[robojunkie]

I don't think anything but 1st degree murder would reach back to the time of "BNDD"!!! Wow, if I coulda lived back then...I sometimes wonder if anyone could even pull off a non-armed robbery job on a pharmacy today. Anyone ever heard any stories on the news about shit like that? I always look out for it but never anything but oxycontin armed robberies and other day time in and out guns blazin' type shit. Imagine, no cameras, no modern DEA, no CSA, and of course, open transems!!!

[emmajs]

Same here back in the early 70's, actually had 4 speed freaks going in. No alarms back then except on the doors. Showed them how to go in through the roof top A/C units. They started out breaking the door in but had to get in and out fast before the cops got there. Going in through the roof they had time to get everything, all they wanted was speed so I got all the good stuff. Idiots started robbing liquor stores at gun point and got busted when the get away car wouldn't start. Except for the really dumb one that turned off the 57 Chevy that vapor locked. Cops ignored him while they chased down the other 3.

[quote=Duckfeet;154704]I used to burglarize drugstores, a certain chain, a long time ago, back in N. Florida and other Gulf States, and these guys still kept all their class A's in the same area--this was before schedule 2's and DEA took over from BNDD. quote]

[oxydose]

\non-armed robbery job on a pharmacy today. Anyone ever heard any stories on the news about shit like that? I always look out for it but never anything but oxycontin armed robberies and other day time in and out guns blazin' type shit. Imagine, no cameras, no modern DEA, no CSA, and of course, open transems!!!

Two pharmacies here in the past 7 years have been broken into, no one was ever arrested in either, atleast if they where it made NO NEWS.

About 7 years ago exactly (around 99ish 2000) a local store was burglerized, the folks put window tint like stuff over to door to keep it from shattering. News never said what all was taken...

Then about 3-4 years make a chain store here had JUST GOT a HUGE shipment of Lortab in (paper said they got over 6,000 pills). It was a 4am smash, run-in-and-grab. Again never read anything about the folks being found out. Rumor was it had to be a partial inside job, because the people knew exactly where to look and the place had just gotten the order in....

but yeah they still happen in small towns