A Desolate Blast of Stifling Reality That Touches Several Itchy Nerves

Rating: 8/10 (24 March 2014)

A scathing retroactive commentary on the sins of the FDA and the failures of the US government as the AIDS epidemic was kicking into high gear. Matthew McConaughey (the latest actor to reap rewards for grotesquely altering his appearance) is barely recognizable in the leading role, a rail-thin, homophobic cowboy who contracts the disease at a point in time where it was widely believed that gays were its only victims. The dose of reality he's fed is swift, bitter and thoroughly justified, though that doesn't make it any easier to watch. His journey is an impressive one, if bittersweet, and his emergence from drunkenness and ignorance is a key point. Heartbreakingly vivid, especially in its portrayal of the contradictory lengths the government is willing to go to preserve the interests of its real masters, it deserves credit for refusing to hammer the point until we're all feeling blunt and dulled. I appreciated the ride and agreed with each core message, though naysayers could certainly accuse it of having an agenda.