One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Director: Miloš Forman
Screenplay: Lawrence Hauben, Bo Goldman (based on the novel by Ken Kesey)
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher
Music: Jack Nitzsche
Time: 127 minutes
Bottom-line: A splendid drama, packed with stellar performances 

The second film to win the five top Oscars: Best Picture, Director, Actor and Actress in the leading roles, and (Adapted) Screenplay, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a film that brings out the best of Jack Nicholson, and also draws great performances from several others. Louise Fletcher plays the female lead, while the supporting cast includes Danny DeVito, Brad Dourif, Christopher Lloyd and many others. The AFI placed the film 20th in the list of the best hundred films of the past century.

Nicholson as Mac

Randle “Mac” McMurphy (Nicholson) is a convict who has been transferred to a mental institution. He doesn’t seem to show any signs of mental illness, but is actually serving a short sentence for committing rape. The institution is run by Nurse Ratched (Fletcher), who is unyielding to the patients’ requests, applies harsh treatments and has a strict time schedule for them. Mac realises that the patients are very much afraid of her. So, he becomes their leader, and decides to win over Ratched with his wits. What he does to make the patients feel happy, and how Ratched tries to suppress them is shown in the remaining part of the film.

Fletcher as Nurse Ratched

The story is basically a set of incidents – the various things that Mac does to make the others happy. So, at times you may feel bored, but one thing that the film does very well is to portray the situations in a realistic manner. The scene where Mac steals a bus is somewhat overboard, but otherwise, I really appreciate Forman, for he made me also empathise for the patients at times, and this is one of the best aspects of the film. The ending is a bit unexpected and a bit emotional too. Whether or not it is justified is up to the viewers to decide. (Spoiler alert) I, for one, felt that the mercy killing was justified, but Chief’s escape didn’t seem right.

Nicholson is second from left. Next to him is DeVito as
Martini, behind him is Dourif as Billy. Second from right
is William Redfield as Dale

The acting is the best part. Nicholson gives a terrific performance as McMurphy – inspiring, funny and naughty at the same time. The scene where he asks the others to vote for watching the World Series, the part where he tries to teach basketball to the Chief, the scene where he comes back after being given a shock treatment bring out some classy acting from him. Louise Fletcher plays Nurse Ratched, and this character was voted the fifth greatest villain of all time by the AFI. She doesn’t give the patients freedom, and she gives them harsh punishments, she shows no sympathy nor does she show any mercy. Her acting was superb too; at times you really loathe her character, and credit goes to the acting for making it so. The supporting actors have all done well. Dourif, who plays a stuttering patient Billy, is perhaps the best. His acting really makes one feel sorry for him, especially in the scene where he is dragged away to the Doctor’s room. Others like DeVito, Lloyd, William Redfield and Sydney Lassick have given splendid performances too. And, as I said, the film portrays credible situations, and the acting has a huge part to play in that.

Will Sampson as 'Chief', a mysterious character,
with Nicholson

To conclude, Miloš Forman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is one of the best dramas I have seen. A scintillating performance from Jack Nicholson and an equally good performance from Louise Fletcher drive the film, and they rightly earned their Oscars. The acting from the supporting cast is also superb, particularly Dourif and Lassick. The story is funny at times, and also emotional, especially during the ending. Watch for the acting, and the realism shown.

My Rating: 4.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96%