Of mice and men?

Rating: Null/10 (10 October 1998)

On the AFL's top 100 movies, this one placed twentieth, and deservedly so. It was the brutally real depiction of mental institutions and their inhabitants. Jack Nicholson did a masterful job as the sly criminal who thought a trip to the nut house would shorten his sentence. There is a host of would-be superstars in the movie: Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Brad Dourif,and other semi-notables. What really brought me aback by the film was the flip in our vision of MacMurphy and "Chief" by the end of the film. It really made me wonder if there was a loose "Of Mice and Men" (John Steinbeck) connection going on. Euthanasia seemed to be suggested and the fact that Chief was much like Lennie made me think a bit...the end result might just be a modern twist.