5 / 5
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ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST
5 / 5 |
What are the hallmarks of a great film? Depending on the genre, it could be that the movie is funny, dramatic or action packed. What makes 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's nest a great movie is that it is dramatic and quietly emotional while at the same time being side splittingly funny and quick paced. It ticks all of the boxes of greatness from its script, its performances to its morbidly beautiful cinematography. To try and pigeon hole this film into one genre is much like putting brown sauce on Poptarts, it just doesn't work.
'One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest' is a true cinematic gem that transcends your usual generic Hollywood genre movies and with two Oscar winning performances from both Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher and great cast of quacks supporting the two leads including debut performances from both Danny DeVito (Twins) and Christpher Lloyd (Doc Brown) and homorously twisted turns from Brad Dourif (Chucky the killer doll), Sidney Lassick (Sister Act 2) and the immortal Scatman Crothers (The Shining). Put simply, this film is so good, that it played in Swedish cinemas for 12 years after its release.
The story follows the actions and reactions of R.P McMurphy (Nicholson), who after faking his way into a mental ward from his prison work farm gets drawn into a battle of wills with Nurse Ratchett (Fletcher) for the souls of the other patients on the wards who have been institutionalised into sub-missive lifestyles by their author-itarian dictator/head nurse. While the film is very much rooted in the characters that drive it along, it is the films anti establishment overtones and its anti-hero/anti-villain dichotomy that gives the movie the depth and substance that brought 9 Oscar nominations and 5 wins.
Within the relationship between McMurphy and Ratchett, lies the age old argument between the establishment and those anarchist types who like to fuck shit up. The film also looks at modern societies idea of mental health and psychiatry highlighting McMurphy's 'alternative' therapy of watching baseball, breaking out and stealing a boat and generally having fun which seems to improve the spirits and morale of the other patients, much to Nurse Ratchett's disapproval.
The film that unfolds from the very first minute is an up and down story that goes from Jack Nicholson's best comedic highs to one of the most effecting and human climaxes that has ever been put to screen. If you are not a viewer that cares about the many social overtones which run throughout this movie, it is no matter for the comedy and emotion in the film are enough to hold even the most casual of viewers and at times it is simply just downright funny, enlightening and depressing all at the same time. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's nest is a perfect example of film making at its best and should be at the top of the list of everyone's must watch films list. Whether you have seen it before or this is just an introduction, this classic is a flawless film that must be rediscovered by the Judd Apatow / CGI generation of cinema goers.
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