A comment on One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Rating: 9/10 (3 July 2006)

The wild violin music played during the opening credits of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest perfectly describes the movie. At times it is playful, yet there is a sadness that surrounds it. Our hero is McMurphy, played by Jack Nicholson. He is a convict looking for an easy way to escape the busy work that he is forced to do in prison. McMurphy claims to be mentally ill and is committed to a hospital, run by the dominating, cold Nurse Ratched. McMurphy makes friends with many of the patients, particularly the Chief, Billy, Harding, Cheswick, Bancini, and Taber. The main conflict is the power struggle between Nurse Ratched's absolute control and McMurphy's rebellious nature which inspires the other patients to become more independent.
The most interesting aspect of the movie is how realistic it appears. The patients truly seem as if they were indeed patients and not hired actors. It can be seen in the background that the actors stay in character even when the camera is not focusing on them. It is also interesting to see that McMurphy does not fool anyone during his stay at the hospital. Although they believe that he is not insane, he continuously gets punished when trying to confront the nurse about her power games. To cure his "insanity" McMurphy loses his ability to think on his own. The movie ends with one flying over the cuckoo's nest.