Drugstore Cowboy

           This 1989 sophomore feature of infamous director Gus Van Sant is about a group of individuals who rob drugstores to feed their copious addictions. It features solid acting and vivid images, which are embellished by beautiful cinematography reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece, Pulp Fiction (1994). With a complex tone, witty dialogue from Van Sant's own adapted screenplay, and great sequences, Drugstore Cowboy is easily Gus's greatest film to date. It is less experimental than his twenty-first century "Death Trilogy," (Gerry (2002), Elephant (2003), Last Days (2005)) appealing to more people, yet less commercial than some of his bigger-budget films (Psycho (1998), Finding Forrester (2000), Milk (2008)), giving him more creative authority. With just a $2.5 million budget, even less than Elephant's $3 million budget, Van Sant and the crew made great use of the tight finances, producing a courageous story that does not come around all that often. This is a must-see for all cinephiles out there, fans and haters of Gus alike.