Sunday, September 22, 2013

McMurphy has a criminal past and has once again gotten himself into trouble with the law. To escape labor duties in prison McMurphy pleads insanity and is sent to a ward for the mentally unstable. Once here McMurphy both endures and stands witness to the abuse and degradation of the oppressive Nurse Ratched who gains superiority and power through the flaws of the other inmates. McMurphy and the other inmates band together to make a rebellious stance against the atrocious Nurse.

Review

Jack Nicholson is a great actor. No not a great actor a spectacular actor. This is a film from fairly early in his career as well as it is for several other actors in this film who later have had long great careers too including Danny DeVito Christopher Lloyd and Brad Dourif. The film has some unforgettable moments... who could forget Louise Fletcher's icy stare Jack Nicholson's smartaleck remarks or Will Sampson's impressive almost entirely silent performance The film portrays the horrible truth about how patients were treated in mental institutions back then and tells the story of someone who desperately wanted to break out to rebel to change things for himself and for the others. I was compelled by this film from the very first frame. I never took my eyes off it and I will definitely be thinking about this film for a while. I thought it was great the way one of the very first frames depicted the institution as something far more similar to a prison than a hospital. Milos Forman did a great job of making that contrast very powerful to the viewer. The film is very moving and a truly beautiful cinematic experience. Every single actor gives a stellar performance every single character is perfectly written every single line every single frame is absolutely perfect. I wouldn't change a thing in this film. It has a great pace you never lose interest but it never seems to be rushing to get through it either. It's simply perfect. I have not read the original book but if I ever come across it I might check it out. I have only seen this film once but I will definitely watch it many times in years to come. I recommend this amazing piece of great cinema to anyone who has at least a slight interest in the drama genre or any fan of any of the actors as they are all in their absolute prime in this film. 1010