Matthew McConaughey, The Best Actor of 2013?

Matthew McConaughey first grabbed the limelight when he was twenty-four after starring in the cult classic 'Dazed and Confused.' Following his attention grabbing performance McConaughey started to make a name for himself and it wasn't long before he was working in movies directed by Hollywood's best including Stephen Spielberg and Ron Howard. However as the 2000's crept along McConaughey seemed to become a fixture in the Romantic Comedy genre, starring in hits 'The Wedding Planner' as well as 'How to lose a Guy in 10 days.' McConaughey's celebrity status to increase, however people started to question him as an actor.

In 2013 McConaughey seems to be out to prove a point with leading roles in dramas 'Mud' and 'Dallas Buyers Club,' as well as an entertaining cameo in Scorsese's new film, 'The Wolf of Wall Street.' In all three films McConaughey has throughily impressed me, but none more than in Dallas Buyers Club which I watched for the first time today.

Dallas Buyers Club is a biographical drama about a man called Ron Woodruff (McConaughey) who is an AIDS patient. Within the movie Woodruff deals unapproved but seemingly helpful drugs to fellow patients. Woodruff, who begins the film as a strong homophobe, befriends a transgender AIDS patient called Rayon who helps him run the pharmaceutical business. Overall I thought the film was very good, a solid 8/10 that is emotive and thought provoking, but it leans heavily on the fantastic performance of McConaughey. McConaughey, who shed an amazing 47 pounds for the role, gave a deeply moving performance that took a lot of bravery. The part was extremely difficult especially with all the physicality needed in order to perform the scenes when McConaughey is suffering from the symptoms of his cancer. He delivered his lines with passion and precision and was able to produce a very convincing Dallas accent, that never left him throughout the whole film. 

The performance was definitely one of the best I've seen all year and I would be very surprised if McConaughey does not receive an Oscar Nomination on the 16th January.