spectacular

Rating: Null/10 (11 November 2002)

There's very few movies based on novels out there that are as well as adapted as One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Even though Ken Kesey's novel is an incredible tour-de-force, the movie version is just as excellent, albeit in a different way. Though the book takes a different approach (it's written from Chief Broden's perspective), and has a few more interesting twists and turns, the movie version is still amazing, and it works brilliantly. The acting by every single actor in this film is near-on perfect - the performaces are all extremely well realized. The direction adds to the incredible atmosphere, and the story works very well too. There's moments of pure emotion in the movie - whether they be humor or sadness - and the whole thing is gripping, entertaining, shocking, and, well, just plain wonderful.

It's worth getting hold of the recently-released 2 DVD set. As well as a great widescreen transfer, the documentary about the making of the film is a wonderful insight into the process, and what the actors had to go through to bring the movie to life. There's also a selection of very interesting deleted scenes that add another dimension to the movie, and will be very apparent to readers of the novel. Definitely on my top ten list, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is one of the finest examples of filmmaking out there.