Nnnnot as good as the book

Rating: 7/10 (22 June 2007)

There are a fair few people who commented on this film that don't understand the ending. This is understandable, as when you watch the film the only conclusion you can make is that the chief is putting McMurphy out of his misery. This is not the intention I perceived the book to mean, but this is a review of the film.
In all, this is a rather empty film. There isn't a lot of subtle change in the characters, which is a shame, as the more obvious changes leave the audience feeling confused (due to the lack of noticeable time lapse). This film also leaves questions unanswered, such as McMurphy's initial bet that he could break the big nurse within a week, and the doctor's love of fishing. There was also too much concentration on the board group, who really didn't do anything, and not enough development put into the Chief, the narrator of the whole story (originally).
The character of Billy was the only emotional input into the film and maybe Harding's anger. The directors choice of condensing the story so a number of major events happen at once was questionable, but it worked well overall.
My advice is not to judge the story based on the film. It really doesn't do the book justice and I recommend it to everyone.