One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
Director: Milos Forman
Year: 1975
Country: USA
Duration: 133 mins
Rating: 18
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher and Danny DeVito
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Pretending to be mentally ill to avoid prison work detail, manic free spirit Randle P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) is sent to the state mental hospital for evaluation. There he encounters an interesting group of mostly voluntary patients,presided over by the icy Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). Ratched and McMurphy recognize that each is the other's worst enemy: an authority figure who equates sanity with correct behaviour, and a misfit who is charismatic enough to dismantle the system simply by living as he pleases. McMurphy proceeds to instigate group insurrections large and small, ranging from a restorative basketball game to an unfettered afternoon boat trip and a tragic after-hours party with booze. Nurse Ratched, however, has the machinery of power on her side to ensure that McMurphy will not defeat her. Still, McMurphy's message to live free or die is ultimately not lost on the other patients, revealing that escape is still possible even from the most oppressive conditions.