THE best film of all time.

Rating: 10/10 (15 October 2011)

It has to mean something when a film ranks #8 in the IMDb Top 250, wins the five most prestigious Academy awards and is still considered underrated.
Upon first watching the film, I was sceptical and half expectant of it being mildly overrated. The film is as close to flawless as any other film I have yet watched, and that includes some IMDb favourites, such as fellow masterclasses Shawshank Redemption and the first two Godfather movies.
The screenplay and directing of the film is sensational. I have not yet read the book, or seen a play adaptation, but it is something I would very much want to do. The scripting is quickly-paced, but this never becomes it's downfall and simply adds to the sheer insanity of the film itself. Though, the velocity of the film itself does halt when need be - thus, making the more tragic, dramatic scenes even more touching and heartbreaking. The directing, from the excellent Milos Forman, is also something to shout about very much. An Oscar well deserved!
Though, the film's stand-out of many strong points is the acting. Within a large and extensive cast, there is not a single bad actor and a handful of outstanding ones. Jack Nicholson, playing the hot-tempered convict Mc Murphy, and his usual psycho routine are as convincing as ever. As is, Louise Fletcher in her role of Nurse Ratched, without a doubt one of the greatest film villains of all time. She's callous, unpredictable and a role not many actresses would be able to succeed in doing so to any positive effect. Of course, the supporting cast, (and the "nuts" as Mc Murphy playfully dubs them) are outstanding. It's brilliant to see pre-stardom talents, such as Christopher Lloyd, Danny DeVito and the undermined Brad Dourif really go into there roles. Some lesser known actors, such as Sydney Lassick as the child-esque Cheswick, William Redfield as the opinionated Harding and the mesmerising performance of Will Sampson as the unforgettable Chief. All the latter three actors, sadly, passed away within years of the film's release.
In short, an unbelievably great film - if you were to watch any, make it this one!