One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest DVD > Reviews > You are nuts Jack

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Outstanding
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Outstanding

Advantages:	Great story, great performances, brilliant stuff
Disadvantages:	Quite depressing

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Jack Nicholson …. an extremely special man, a very special actor, a very special twinkle ….. Here’s Johnny!!!

He’s been around a long time and done a lot of amazing stuff … ‘Tommy’, ‘The Shining’, ‘As Good As It Gets’, ‘The Witches of Eastwick’, ‘Five Easy Pieces’, ‘Prizzi’s Honour’, ‘Wolf’ …. You could go on all night, but there is one film, one very special film in which Old Nick puts together a very special performance and we get one of those classic moments in cinema history.

You know what it is because you’re reading it here, ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’, the 1975 film version of Ken Kesey’s novel from the 1960’s. If you’ve never seen it then you’ve got a rare treat to look forward to, if you have seen it, watch it again and feel very, very privileged – this is one MASSIVE WORK which should be in everybody’s favourite list.

It certainly copped a load of accolades at the time and was an immediate cult classic of some standing – it also managed to transcend the barrier between popularity, critical acclaim and quality – it managed to walk away with 5 Oscars and a host of other awards, but that doesn’t always mean that the film is actually very good, but it’s different here – ‘OFOTCN’ is good, very, very good, very, very, very good indeed and Our Jack has never had a better vehicle for his own particular brand of brilliance.

Jack plays the part of a con in America (McMurphy) who is trying to work an easy ticket through his time behind bars by conning THE SYSTEM into thinking he is quite mad (not normally something Our Jack would find difficult, because he’s always come over as a bit of a manic). What he doesn’t realise is that while he may be able to get out more quickly, he could also be in the hospital for a very long time indeed if they are convinced that he’s too mad.

Much of the film is based around the hate-hate relationship between McMurphy and the head nurse, Nurse Ratched, played superbly (in that you literally despise the woman) by Louise Fletcher, who has never given a stronger performance. She got the Oscar for best actress. She strives for routine, monotony and harmony, but McMurphy ain’t playing that game and you can feel the hatred between the two. McMurphy uses the other patients in his war, but ends up trying to get them to break through the barriers and he is a breath of fresh air for them, although there is a severe backlash from the status quo to stamp out the menace of McMurphy and this leads to some intense and thoroughly oppressive scenes culminating in the treatment of McMurphy with electric shock treatment and Nicholson is extremely special in his portrayal of a beaten man – this is thought provoking stuff and you feel yourself gradually drawn more and more closely into the lives of the characters here – IMMENSE.

A lot of the shock and the horror comes from the realisation that many of these men are not in fact committed, but there of their own accord. Kesey’s novel and this film version by Milos Forman are a savage indictment of the older approach to mental illness and its treatment and they inspire true emotional attachment to this very odd bunch of characters.

Having said all that, the whole is an extraordinary blend of thoughtful and serious moralising and the highest of high comedy. The basketball game where McMurphy tries to get the giant Red Indian, Chief, played by Will Sampson, to dump the basket. In fact, Sampson takes a wonderful part, playing someone who has managed to convince everyone that he is insensitive to all sights and sounds but really knows exactly what he is doing – his escape to victory at the end of the film is one of the most touching moments in a very powerful and evocative piece of art.

Another key moment is when McMurphy tries to get the authorities to let them watch the world baseball series. Everyone has to vote for it in order to get it switched on and McMurphy manages to wind all his new friends up into a vote, only for Ratched to calmly note that all the more acute patients would also have to vote – not a hope, and Nicholson’s playing of McMurphy’s frustration is wonderful. It was moments like these that enabled Jack to walk away with the Oscar for best actor in the film that won the award for best movie. Never have awards been more appropriate than they are here.

Danny Devito and Christopher Lloyd, who both went on to star in the ‘Taxi’ TV series and countless other wonderful films, are featured among the inmates and give excellent performances, but there are few here who do not turn in very special contributions.

If you only ever see one film about lunacy, make it this one. If you only ever see one film by Nicholson, make it this one. It’s a rare and wonderful thing. There are not many movies that have had as profound effect on its audiences as this one and when you see it you will quickly see why – THIS IS WHAT MOVIES SHOULD ALL BE ABOUT.

MISS IT IF YOU DARE!!!!!