"Dallas Buyers Club"

Ron Woodroof comes from Texas, a City where men are men. Where they treat the fact that a major Hollywood star has AIDs with great hilarity, and where the work hard and definitely play hard. Ron works both in construction and as a rodeo rider. And through an accident that he has he finds himself admitted to hospital, where after running some tests, he is informed that he has AIDs. Naturally this announcement is met with great shock, and disbelief. How can this very straight man have what he regards as a gay disease?
To make matters worse, he is told to get his affairs in order within the next 30 days. Talk about a body blow. Not one to take anything laying down, Ron sets out to beat his condition. He starts to read medical journals, and find out what medication he can take to prolong his life.
He finds there are several new wonder drugs out there, but the downside for him is that they are not available in the US, as they are either banned or not yet fully tested, so he takes matters into his own hands, as only he can.
Does he have to battle this alone? Oh no. His friends however have long deserted him, no doubt worried as to what they might catch. He does befriend a Doctor at the hospital. He does also find that some of the drugs he needs can be found in Mexico, so across the border he goes. He returns with enough pharmacutical products to keep Boots stocked for a month. He convinces the authorities that they are for his own personal use. They buy his story - this time. But it won't cut the mustard for long. And soon enough he finds that his trips are wasted as he has his drugs conviscated. So it is a constant running battle to find ways to keep getting the drugs he needs, not just for him, but for many with the same condition.
One such person is Rayon, whoim he first meets in hospital, and who he reluctantly befriends. Rayon is not someone that Ron would normally mix with, as she is pre op transexual. Ron finds her a huge boost to him selling his product and a friendship is formed.
But Ron has to fight a constant battle but is determined to win the ultimate battle against a disease that has cost so many their life.

There has been debate as to how true the story is, especially as to whether Ron was gay, straight, bi, a homophobe (All this I have just discovered) but either way there is no denying that this is a great film, with a remarkable story at the heart of it.
Matthew McConaughey has had a varied career, but I doubt that anyone would have pegged him for the role of Ron Woodroof. But there is a reason why he has won so many Best Actor Awards, and that is the remarkable performance he gives. He shares the screen with Jared Leto who plays Rayon, his first acting role in 4 years, but shows that he has a real talent. Great support from a first class ensemble cast.

Ultimately a powerful film, with the very best performances, as the poster says "Dare to Live". And in the end,  with what happens to Ron, it went on to prove what a true fighter he really was. 8 out of 10