A masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (19 July 2001)

One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is my all-time favorite film. This movie excels on so many levels: acting, cinematography, storyline, directing, music, and intelligence. Added together, this is one of the most amazing movies to ever hit the big screen.
Jack Nicholson is amazing as McMurphy, who's "crazy to be in a loony bin like this." That loony bin is where the story is told; it is one of isolation, of human fears, of human mind, and of human triumph. Nicholson has had many great performances, such as Chinatown and The Shining, but this is the movie that made his mark. He is very convincing as a maybe-crazy, maybe-sane man.
Then there is Louise Fletcher as the calm and very consistent Nurse Ratched. Her performance was simply brilliant. Supporting performances from Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, and Brad Douriff are also terrific.
The storyline is one of thought provocation. After watching this film, one should (and hopefully will) wonder who was crazy and who was not. Many of the people were simply scared of society, others couldn't handle their fears, some were legitimately "out there," but who exactly knows? That is the beauty of this film. It asks many questions: What makes one "crazy"? How has society defined it? How do we react to it? What can we do about it?
One Flew also contains the best climax to ever be shown on screen. It is probably the most powerful moment to ever be viewed. The ending is also tremendous and tremendously performed.
Cinematography was excellent and added to the feeling of isolation. The music was terrific; I recommend owning the soundtrack. Milos Forman did a tremendous job in bringing everything together to make this film a simple masterpiece.
Many people wonder what class this film belongs to: comedy, drama, or comedy-drama. This is a question mark because there are elements of both comedy and drama, but it can be viewed, I think, in all three ways/styles. I can definitely say, though, that this film is a classic.
Rating: 10/10