This past week, I have been watching the first season of HBO's True Detective, starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. The show itself has some bravura moments (the botched robbery in the fourth episode and the conflict in the woods in the fifth come to mind) but the consistent draw has been McConaughey's hypnotic performance as Rust Cohle. As he spouts his nihilistic philosophies, he is constantly breathing fire (how many cigarettes did the production go through?). It made me think about McConaughey's career and how he was little more than a joke not that long ago. Although a lot of people site his work in Dazed and Confused or Wolf of Wall Street, he wasn't a big part of those stories. A long string of weak romcoms almost crippled his career (and the less said about Tiptoes, the better). If you could only pick 10 McConaughey performances to watch, I would recommend these...
Honorable Mentions: Bernie, Tropic Thunder, Mud
10. U-571 (2000)- The submarine movie is one of my favorite subgenres and this is an admirable addition to the cannon despite the presence of Jon Bon Jovi. McConaughey holds his own with heavy weights like Harvey Keitel and character actors like Bill Paxton. This is the story of American service men infiltrating a German sub to steal an enigma cipher machine. There is lots of tension and action, like a good sub movie.
9. Reign of Fire (2002)- I think this is a criminally underrated action flick that McConaughey does a great job in. In a world overtaken by dragons (you read that right), Christian Bale leads a small band of humans who believe they can hide and survive. McConaughey is the insane leader of a military force dedicated to hunting and killing all dragons. With his shaved head and constant gnawing on a giant cigar, McConaughey is straight out of a comic book. His over the top performance pops even more against Christian Bale's subdued intellectualism. Probably the most fun role I had seen McConaughey play until...
8. Magic Mike (2012)- Guys tend to shy away from this movie because it is focused on the world of male strippers. But really, one look at the cast and director should have told real movie fans that this was worth watching. Steven "I swear I'm retiring any day now" Soderbergh made this riff on a tale as old as showbiz. Alex Pettyfer is a new dancer who is shown the ropes by current superstar, Magic Mike (as played by Channing Tatum). In a very All About Eve scenario, the student eventually starts challenging the master as the old make way for the new. McConaughey is the sleazy ringleader of the dancers and owner of the club. He was ousted in popularity by Magic Mike and you can see the trajectory of every character all at once. McConaughey's Dallas has found a way to survive even after his appeal has worn off...but can Mike?
7. A Time to Kill (1996)- This was the movie that solidified McConaughey's rapid ascent to the A-list. A kind of sweaty potboiler marriage between To Kill a Mockingbird and a John Grisham novel (er, because it was a John Grisham novel), this movie follows McConaughey's lawyer character as he defends Samuel L Jackson against charges of murder in a very racist southern town. Sandra Bullock and Kevin Spacey lend their talents to this better-than-it-should-be movie. That the relatively untested McConaughey was placed at the center of this cast speaks volumes to his abilities.
6. Contact (1997)- This was the first time I saw something more than the potential leading man in McConaughey. As Palmer Joss, he is the voice of religion in this film that sets science squarely against faith. As Jodie Foster investigates potential contact with extra-terrestrial life, Joss is the Scully to her Mulder, constantly challenging the way she thinks about existence. I think this is a great movie for a variety of reasons but McConaughey in particular, does his part well.
5. Lone Star (1996)- This was McConaughey's breakthrough role as Buddy Deeds, a Texas lawman who exists mainly in the memory of his grown son, played by Chris Cooper. I remembered seeing this after all the hype about it and being disappointed in the overwrought melodrama and too obvious plot twist. However, McConaughey commanded the screen as the town's most respected peacekeeper with the inevitable feet of clay.
4. Dallas Buyer's Club (2013)- To me, the most frustrating flavor of Academy Award winning performance is the "lose or gain a bunch of weight" performance. Physical transformation is a relatively easy thing with trainers and dietitians helping you, to give a great performance is a different thing that no one can really help you with. Whereas Jared Leto broke my heart in this movie, McConaughey played his role very well...just maybe not award worthy well. This is the true story of a straight man diagnosed with AIDs at the onset of the epidemic who created a pipeline for cheap medications from Mexico into Texas. It is a moving story but not the best work of McConaughey's career.
3. Frailty (2001)- One of my favorite recent horror movies, Frailty is about a man (McConaughey) giving a confession to an FBI agent about his family's horrific nocturnal activities. Bill Paxton turns in a great performance as the father who makes his sons commit terrible deeds. McConaughey doesn't have a ton of screen time but you can see his dry run at True Detective here. To sit and talk and be completely interesting is a rare thing.
2. Killer Joe (2011)- Honestly, if I could put this in number 1, I would. The character of Killer Joe is not terribly complex but McConaughey plays the crap out of him. As a hitman who gets waaaay too involved with a white trash family, McConaughey is just the right amount of coiled cobra for the role. By the time he has his final, violent confrontation with the family in question, you do not doubt for a second he is as dangerous as he wants to be.
1. Interstellar (2014)- While nowhere near my favorite Christopher Nolan movie, this probably has to be my favorite Matthew McConaughey performance to date. I have real issues with the third act pacing but that is not the fault of the actors. McConaughey is compelling and multi-faceted as a man who is sent into the far reaches of space in an attempt to find a habitable alternative to a quickly dying Earth. There is plot development about halfway through that requires McConaughey to silently convey pride, sadness, loss, grief, joy and horror all at once. That he pulls it off is quite a feat.
If you've ever wondered what the big deal is, check out one of these. I think you'll be surprised.
If we were open:
This week I would be pushing to show The Mend. John Magary's debut film (shown at SXSW last year) is about two brothers who are pushed back into a shared living space through fate. Their dynamic, and the way they treat the people they love, is examined over the course of the movie that is said to have many stylistic flourishes adding to the narrative. Hopefully, this director will go on to bigger and better things but it is always exciting to catch someone at the beginning of their arc.
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