5. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Milos Forman's seminal movie cemented Jack Nicholson's reputation for playing edgy, electric characters. In the six years that span 1969 to 1975 (the year of this film's release), Nicholson had starred in
Easy Rider,
Five Easy Pieces,
The Last Detail and
Chinatown. Taken as a whole, all five performances probably encapsulate everything about thats great about Jack; all those nuances and affectations that made him so unique. But it's here that Jack does perhaps his finest work. He's playing McMurphy, a serial offender with assault convictions who seems destined for a life behind bars. In an attempt to get out of prison work, McMurphy feigns madness - only for the plan to backfire, sending him into the care of a high security mental institution. Once incarcerated, McMurphy witnesses (and is subject to) the hardline rules set out by Nurse Ratched, a woman who skillfully manipulates the shortcomings of the patients, cementing her authority on the ward. Forman's patient eye catches Nicholson's naturalistic performance with such clarity. McMurphy continually runs against Ratched's regime; they are each polar opposite of the other, so what plays out is a war of wills between the chaotic, leftfield inmate and the strict, to-the-letter superior. It's pretty obvious that things aren't going to go well. However you take what follows, there's no denying McMurphy is an arrogant, life-loving joker. The humourless Ratched becomes a truly horrible person in the face of this.Yet - in spite of her unforgivable actions - we get a creepy insight into the narrow-minded application of order, thanks to Louise Fletcher's excellent performance. Her world is challenged by the very existence of McMurphy within it; what makes events so chilling is just how far she's prepared to go in order to maintain her control.