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Movie
Poster for Drugstore Cowboy

Drugstore Cowboy

1989 · 102 min

A low-key, lived-in slide into addiction's grind, mixing wry humor with a quiet, accumulating dread.

Tagline
Sooner or later, someone will pay the price.
Overview
Portland, Oregon, 1971. Bob Hughes is the charismatic leader of a peculiar quartet, formed by his wife, Dianne, and another couple, Rick and Nadine, who skillfully steal from drugstores and hospital medicine cabinets in order to appease their insatiable need for drugs. But neither fun nor luck last forever.
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 3 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 2 of 3
  • warmstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • addiction
  • crime
  • isolation
  • redemption
  • death
Places
  • big city
  • road trip
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • nonlinear
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language strong
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror2
Humour5
Realism8
Romance3
Tension6
Darkness7
Complexity6
Emotional weight7

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Where to watch in the UK

Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
  • Sky Store

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, crime
Directed by
Gus Van Sant
Written by
Gus Van Sant, Daniel Yost
Starring
Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch, James Remar, James Le Gros, Heather Graham, Beah Richards, Grace Zabriskie, Max Perlich
Music
Elliot Goldenthal
Cinematography
Robert D. Yeoman
Runtime
102 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

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