A few years ago Matthew McConaughey was stuck in a creative rut of unremarkable romantic comedies, more notable for chest shots than story or character. Then something happened. He was offered, and he accepted, a string of parts that played to his strengths as an adventurous and unpredictable actor.
5. Bernie
Richard Linklater re-enlisted his old buddy to play an opportunistic small-town prosecutor in this dark East Texas comedy.
4. Mud
If you need someone to play a grimy, sensitive convict hiding out on an island with a couple of adolescents, Matt's your man.
3. Dazed and Confused
McConaughey was more than alright, alright, alright as an arrested development case in Linklater's breakout high school nostalgia trip.
2. Killer Joe
There's a scary cool behind those good looks, as this chicken-fried Gothic made abundantly clear.
1. Dallas Buyers Club
The full McConaughey: Physically and emotionally committed, wild, rangy, risky and moving.