One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

On O List of Movie Reviews

(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Rate: 10
Viewed: 1/03, 6/25

Cuckoo
6/25: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is primarily a performance-driven film.

That's not clear at the outset by focusing on the story. The longer the movie goes on, the more attention is paid to the players and how they act out their parts. Therefore, it's been a remarkable display of excellence in acting. What occurs at the mental hospital matters less.

There's no doubt that Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher are iconic as Randle McMurphy and Nurse Ratched, respectively. I can't really call the latter a villain; she was doing her job, but yeah, she took the wrong approach in a couple of situations. As for the former, he's just a con man, but what a character he is. When Louise Fletcher won the Oscar, she used American Sign Language at the end of her acceptance speech, and nobody knew she was the daughter of deaf parents.

As for the supporting cast, it's impressive, considering the film was made in 1975. Everybody wasn't aware of who Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd were at the time with both going on to achieve more fame in a TV show called Taxi. Although Brad Dourif was Oscar-nominated for Best Supporting Actor, I have to say that Will Sampson, who stood at 6'7", deserved it more as Chief. Sydney Lassick is also excellent as Charlie Cheswick. One of the patients is distinctive-looking (Michael Berryman) who went on to be the man in The Hills Have Eyes.

All in all, because of Five Easy Pieces, The Last Detail, Chinatown, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Jack Nicholson makes a strong case for Best Actor of the Decade in the 70's.