A true classic, packed with great performances

Rating: 8/10 (10 February 2015)

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is one hell of a movie. Not only does it deliver fully in terms of comedy and drama, but it also managed to win the five big categories at the Oscars back in 1976. Jack Nicholson gives the maybe finest performance from his career and that says a lot. Louise Fletcher's Nurse Ratched regularly makes all-time villain lists and this film is considered one of the greatest examples of how the movie is better than the book it is based on, namely Ken Kesey's novel. So congrats to the writing team Goldman/Hauben, of which the latter never wrote another screenplay than this one here. And to director Milos Forman who, now in his early 80s, gave us many more great films during his 50-year-long career.
If you take a closer look, you will see that this movie starts the way it ends. With a camera shot outside the institution. At the beginning a car approaches, possibly the one bringing McMurphy and at the end we see Chief leaving to freedom. Everything in-between (except the boat trip) takes place behind the walls/fences of the institution. We get to see several sessions with sadist Ratched in control, which usually end up way worse for all the inmates than they started. As I mentioned earlier, there's moments when you can never be sure which direction this film is gonna take in the end, comedy or drama. That is also why the final developments are so shocking for everybody. Is it an uplifting ending? Or a depressing? I'm not sure. You have to decide for yourself. The boat trip was certainly the highlight in terms of lightness. Everybody had such a great time with the evil nurse not present. I liked how McMurphy acted as if catching the fish was something so big, such a huge event to boost the inmates' confidence.
Apart from that, it is also interesting to see how the employees of the institution act. Some are sadist and like to humiliate as well, some almost treat the inmates equally at times, like during that big party scene. Obviously, the scene when Billy is caught with the woman by Nurse Ratched is very significant too. You could argue how Ratched's own sexual frustration may play a role in the way she reacted ruthlessly and pushed her unstable patient into suicide. She is maybe an even more interesting character than McMurphy. But is she lead or supporting? I'm not sure about that with McMurphy being so much in the center of the movie. But maybe that is just due to Nicholson's great screen presence. Anyway, it's fascinating to see how Ratched hides her mean behavior behind alleged seriousness: She allows the poll, but still decides the outcome. She tells that the more insane members count as much as everybody else as they are part of the institution as well etc.
And there is a water application (not sure of the exact name) that plays a major part in this movie too, as this is basically the means to freedom, at first only seemingly with McMurphy, but in the end actually with the Chief, also a very interesting character. However, the early significance of this application is also shown as his little demonstration about how McMurphy at least tried makes everybody brave enough to vote for seeing the baseball game in the face of Ratched's evil eye.
Finally you could argue: Did Chief do the right thing in the end? Or, what if McMurphy had been the doctor and Ratched was one of the patients (as it should be?). Would it be better for all the other inmates as they seem to get along with him well. Is it even possible with McMurphy's anti-authority lifestyle and approach. Anyway, if you see that this film was made in the 1970s you could certainly applaud it for its liberal attitude towards sex, nudity, alcohol, authorities and possibly even euthanasia towards the end. Be warned that this movie has two very intense scenes: first the medical procedure taken on McMurphy after the first brawl and finally the pillow scene. Stay away if you maybe can't handle these. Or better look away as it would be a pity if you missed this brilliant film because of that. However, completely in contrast to that: If you have perceived asylums as something creepy (just like many others) so far, you may change your opinion after seeing this film. The inmates all seem fairly harmless compared to the one person in control of them.