Gripping story performed wonderfully by McConaughey and Leto

Rating: 8/10 (1 March 2014)

'Dallas Buyers Club' tells the true story of Ron Woodroof and his efforts to get alternative medication to AIDS patients in America. He's an interesting character. His motives are never straightforward. Sometimes he seems like nothing more than an extortionist, and yet at other times he shows he has a heart. We are taken on the fascinating story of this man, performed brilliantly by Matthew McConaughey.
McConaughey seems to cop a bit of a rough time in social media and television shows like 'Family Guy'. But he really seems to have hit his stride in the last two years. Every performance he turns out is memorable. He appears in two of the Best Picture nominees at the Oscars for 2013 (this and 'The Wolf of Wall Street') and is quite likely to take home Best Actor for 'Dallas Buyers Club' (ironically the only person challenging him for that award is Leo Dicaprio in 'The Wolf of Wall Street'). And deservedly so. It wasn't just his body transformation that was amazing (he lost 21kg) but his acting as well. A powerful performance.
Jared Leto was the other stand out. I knew nothing about his role coming into the film, so I was quite taken aback when we were introduced to him. He also lost a lot of weight for his role. But more than that he was a scene stealer and nailed the character perfectly. The disappointment for me was Jennifer Garner. She had very little screen presence and turned in a pretty forgettable performance.
'Dallas Buyers Club' doesn't tug at your emotional strings as much as I feel it could've and for that I applaud it. It isn't simply trying to make you fall in love with a character only then to take them away. It takes the high road and focuses on the story and what this passionate man did in an undesirable situation. A great watch.