McConaughey Meets Midas, And Oscar, Too

Matthew McConaughey won the best actor Oscar on Sunday for his work in “Dallas Buyers Club,” proving that we are all living in the McConaissance. History books will tell of the age in which everything McConaughey touched turned to gold, including “Mud,” “Magic Mike,” “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “True Detective.”The McConaissance, of course, was preceded by a string of romantic comedies, but let’s not focus on that period. Let’s look at “True Detective,” the crime drama on HBO starring McConaughey and Woody Harrelson (yes, the same Woody Harrelson who is currently busy playing Haymitch in “The Hunger Games” films) as two detectives in Louisiana who are investigating the ritualistic murder of a woman named Dora Lange.Sounds like a fairly straightforward plot. Right? Not a chance. This story is wonderfully complex, taking us on a journey that spans 17 years and is full of surprise twists. It is contained within eight episodes, which means the tale will reach its conclusion in the season finale. In a similar vein to “American Horror Story,” this anthology show will have a new cast and plot in season two. If you’re worried about diving into a whodunit mystery with no clear end in sight, you can cast those doubts aside.McConaughey is mesmerizing as Detective Rustin “Rust” Cohle, a nihilist whose ramblings run between insanity and brilliance. His partner, Harrelson’s Detective Martin “Marty” Hart, is a tough guy with a short fuse and marriage problems. As you can imagine, they don’t always see eye to eye.The story begins in 1995 with the pair finding Lange’s body posed by a tree, wearing a blindfold and a crown of deer antlers. We jump back and forth between that year and 2012, when investigators are asking Cohle and Hart questions about the Lange case. The duo has changed drastically in 17 years. Cohle undergoes the biggest transformation. He is gaunt with long, stringy hair and a mustache — a stark contrast to his clean-cut 1995 look. He chain smokes and drinks constantly as the investigators ask him questions, and he responds with intriguing speeches about humanity’s existence, the universe and everything in between. Honestly, I’d probably watch eight full episodes just of McConaughey talking in that interrogation room.“True Detective” creator Nic Pizzolatto has filled the show with interesting clues and Easter eggs for sharp-eyed fans to follow. For example, there are references to “The King in Yellow,” an 1895 collection of short stories by Robert W. Chambers, which led to a spike in book sales. Not bad for a 119-year-old book.Cary Joji Fukunaga directed every episode of “True Detective,” and the scenes he creates are breathtaking. We get constant bird’s-eye views of Louisiana, and a six-minute tracking shot halfway through the season will keep you glued to the screen.You have just enough time to binge-watch “True Detective” before the season finale on Sunday, March 9, at 9 p.m. on HBO.