One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

An inexpressible acting and directing concerto, based on an excellent book and a great script. It's hard to say to whom to most "attribute" the suggestiveness of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, whether the actor ensemble, who spent several weeks behind the walls of the world of "abnormality" to absorb the color there (and they succeeded perfectly), or Miloš Forman, whose sensitive and basically inconspicuous but perfectly well-established direction give the film a touch of quiet, subliminal drama, which reaches its greatest intensity in the group therapy scenes... Perhaps the most appropriate conclusion is that One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a perfectly coordinated symphony of all instruments, dominated by the solo parts of Jack Nicholson (incredibly natural and truly manic) and Louise Fletcher (whose beautiful façade hides a minimalist, gruesome interior). The quiet struggle of these two elements – the noisy bon vivant and troublemaker McMurphy and the despotic ruler of the Ratched sisters perfectly complements the smaller but all the more respectable acting party of the department's inmates. Miloš Forman moves in the world of the "crazies" with absolute clarity, with a documentary overview and flawless feeling for the inner drama of the characters. Years later, this image of individual freedom and joy of living in the midst of a world that eats its inhabitants mercilessly is still much better than everything that has been filmed on the subject (including the calculated The Shawshank Redemption). (13/03/2005)

There isn’t much to add. The label of one of the best films in history is very well deserved, as well as the five Oscars in the five major categories. It revitalised Miloš Forman's career in an incredible way, helping him rise to the position of a respected and successful great director. But where would this film be with a different cast? The praise here is not only due to Jack Nicholson, whose performance is brilliant and heartfelt, and I rank it among the best I've ever seen, but also to the other actors involved, who are incredible as the madmen and give the film a distinct authenticity and power. The story is precisely written and directed, Louise Fletcher is both charming and devilish at the same time, and the ending is an unforgettable experience that everyone should savour. (08/02/2012)

Excellent, but I can’t give it a full score, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest didn’t impress me enough for that. Besides, I doubt the film was supposed to make me sympathise with the character of Louise Fletcher, and that Nicholson’s character was supposed to get on my nerves. The nuthouse is a brilliantly depressive setting, but the film never managed to transmit that very well to me as a viewer. It just failed to leave me with that unique 100% impression. 85% (16/09/2008)

An excellent film in all respects, which, like wine, matures in your head over the viewings. The combination of Milos Forman being on top form and the frantic acting of Jack Nicholson is simply mesmerising. And I could point out every aspect of the film in that same way. In short, a truly legendary piece of work. (19/04/2018)

The immense power of this work lies primarily in its immensely evocative delivery and its relentless final impact on the viewer's emotions. Who is actually the biggest fool here is a very difficult question for each viewer to answer for themselves. Just writing the review here now and recalling snippets of this immortal Forman flick brings tears to my eyes once again. Miloš Forman has transformed all the apparent drawbacks (the closed setting, the limited space for Nicholson, the overall feeling of detachment) into major strengths that result in a gripping emotional spectacle with Jack Nicholson in the role of a lifetime. It's hard to say who is the king of this film, Forman or Nicholson, but what is certain is that this is an exceptional film whose intrinsic value will only increase with time. What is remarkable is that such a seemingly "small", human, intimate, and actually low-budget film has managed to appeal to such a wide spectrum of audiences and academics. Ultimately, this is a "great" film, a film great in its ideas, its production, its brilliant cast, and its absolutely breathtaking conclusion. (24/08/2013)