It’s a pedantic differentiation, sure, but one with which film critics and cinephiles will love obsessing. The theory that McConaughey played up to his good looks and easy charm in his thirties to build a fortune, which would allow him the freedom to take on more challenging roles in his forties could well be true. Maybe he was sick of taking his shirt off and kissing pretty girls and calling that a job (aren’t we all?) and wanted to start really acting again. Maybe he actually loved all those romantic comedies he did in the 2000s and is secretly annoyed that now he is only offered gritty indie dramas and Oscar nominations. Who are we to know?

Anyway, his performance in Dallas Buyers Club is phenomenal. Set in the mid 1980s as the AIDS epidemic hits America, McConaughey plays Ron Woodroof, your typical Southern homophobic rodeo loving trailer trash. Ron contracts AIDS and is given 30 days to live. Ostracised by his friends and facing limited medical help, Ron decides to take his fate into his own hands. Forming a partnership of sorts with a transgender woman Rayon (Jared Leto) he begins selling unapproved drugs to fellow sufferers, a so-called Buyers Club. The drugs Ron sells work better than the ones available in the US, however their technical illegality puts Ron and Rayon into conflict with the FDA and other government authorities.

Ron is a complicated character. It is easy to assume that at the start of the film, if one of his friends were to become ill instead of himself, Ron would exclude them. However, the fact that he is able to soften his perceptions towards the homosexual community shows that perhaps he was always capable of such compassion. Also it is implied that Ron begins the Buyers Club to make money, but as the film progresses it is indicated that his perseverance is perhaps more about a sense of social justice. If there is medication that works, it should be available, Big Pharmaceuticals be damned. Governments are justifiably cautious about new drugs but it is alarming to see drug companies wield such influence. One might wonder how swift the reaction might be if there was a sudden outbreak of disease in older rich white men, however.

McConaughey portrays Ron’s dimensions adeptly in what could be a very thankless role. Sure it’s Oscar bait, but without his charisma and drive Ron could become a limp imitation of what the character really is: a man who is pissed off with life, so he decides to take back what he can. Ryan Gosling would perhaps be too dark or Bradley Cooper too conceited (maybe, maybe they’d be perfect). Prepare yourself for a shock though; McConaughey’s emaciated appearance is as shocking as most horror movie special effects.

Jared Leto is quietly brilliant in his role as well. Rayon is in some ways more heartbreaking than Ron, as she sees no way out of her situation in life and seems resigned to a tragic end. Yet she can’t be pitied and still exhibits more joy than most. Jennifer Garner as sympathetic Dr. Saks is also solid and reminds us how illness, terminal or otherwise, has an effect on everyone it touches.

Supposedly director Jean-Marc Vallèe approached the shoot in a barebones manner – principal photography in less than a month, minimal lighting set ups, a shoestring make-up budget and long 15 minute takes for actors. And while the biopic does have touches of this social realism approach, Dallas Buyers Club doesn’t feel like it was cheated on production values at all; it is as enjoyable visually as it is thematically. I thought the screenplay by Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack was generally engaging, although I felt like it petered out a bit towards the end, after a very solid opening and middle.

Another great Matthew McConaughey performance, although they generally all are these days. An Oscar baiting biopic, maybe, but a fine social and character film moreso. 4/5