15. Nurse Mildred Rached - One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest (1975)
Theres no female antagonist in movies as cordially loathed as Louise Fletchers autocratic institutional tyrant, and polls suggest that only the Wicked Witch Of The West has more clout as a female villain in cinema. An object lesson in how power can corrupt, Mildred Ratched is the heartless, vindictive head nurse at the mental institution that Jack Nicholsons McMurphy finds himself transferred to. A rebellious repeat-offender; a brawler and hellraiser being evaluated to see if his recidivism is the result of mental illness, McMurphy is only ever looking to serve out his time in the easiest way possible, but electrifies the cowed inmates of the asylum from the beginning with his devil-may-care attitude and raucous sense of humour. The stage is set for a confrontation between the complete bastard and the total bitch Fletcher would win an Oscar for her mesmerising, masterclass portrayal of the hardnosed, hateful Ratched always in control, maintaining a clawlike hold on the other inmates, the nurse manipulates, emasculates and humiliates them into doing as theyre told. While her justification would be that she maintained order amongst a naturally chaotic population, the smug satisfaction in her eyes and the telltale smirk at the corner of her mouth tell a different story. Ratcheds power trip is an end in itself: she enjoys grinding the will and individuality of her patients under the heel of her sensible shoe. McMurphy would win the battle for the hearts and minds of the patients, but Ratched would win the war: after she terrorises a young, fragile inmate into suicide, McMurphy snaps and makes the mistake of finally going for her throat. His punishment is to be lobotomised. The larger-than-life, irrepressible protagonist has his personality extinguished. Theres a case to be made that Ratched manoeuvres McMurphy into assaulting her, knowing that it would give her cause to end him: just when you thought you couldnt hate her any more.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
