one of the most remarkable cinematic commentaries on the modern human condition

Rating: 9/10 (24 September 2008)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 9-24-08
To my way of thinking One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is perhaps one of the most remarkable cinematic commentaries on the modern human condition that I have ever had the pleasure of viewing. Whats even more remarkable is that it manages to do so with out seeming overly didactic or righteous. The tale can at times seem ambiguous, leaving one feeling as sterile as the institutional surroundings of its characters and it is all the more better for it. Nurse Mildred Ratched who is played with brilliant precision by Louise Fletcher is perhaps the best example of the films sometimes ambiguous nature. Knee jerk reactionaries might label her as antagonist or even evil but she clearly isn't. She is simply doing her job, and one could even argue that she really is concerned with helping Randall and company. Remember that many of the characters are in the hospital voluntarily. I would posit that the only real villain of the film are the flaws within each of these men that causes them to think that hiding in this hospital is the solution. I would also posit that this is Chief Bromden's story and not Randall's. As he is the only character to experience any real "arc".