Web MasterUnless you’re enrolled in the B-School, you have caught wind of (and perhaps participated in) all the anti-war sentiment around campus. And as much as some of us are ideologically opposed to the war, there are no doubt more than a few in our midst who enjoy protest for the sake of rebellion itself. After all, we’re young; we should rebel against something, and we should have complete impunity while doing so, damnit! (Adherents to this view are easily identified as the ones smoking a bowl in the quad “as an act of protest.”) Yes, there’s definitely an anti-authoritarian streak running through us, so if you want a good example to follow, or you simply want to live vicariously through movie stars, go out and get these picks. They all involve a rebellious, unrealistically handsome lead character who struggles against the powers that be. Coincidentally, they also take place within some kind of penitentiary, whether it’s a psychiatric ward or the dreaded Turkish prison. So pick up these riotous rentals tonight and cheer as the dissident hero squares off against the forces of domination.
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Directed by: Stuart Rosenberg
Starring: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Strother Martin
“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” No, those words didn’t originate with Guns n’ Roses’ “Use Your Illusion II.” Strother Martin spoke them long before, in his role as the iron-fisted captain of a chain gang. Luke Jackson (Newman) joins the captain’s motley crew after being arrested for sawing the heads off parking meters. However, not content to abide by the rules of the prison yard, Luke sets out to turn the captain’s world upside down. Assisted by the burly Dragline (Kennedy, in an Oscar-winning performance), “Cool Hand” does everything he can to disrupt order, from participating in an egg-eating contest (50 in one hour to be exact!) to rallying his fellow inmates to race through a grueling tar-laying competition. Luke’s anti-authoritarian, nonconformist attitude soon raises the suspicion of his superiors, particularly the sunglasses-wearing, demonic Boss Godfrey. When Luke’s ailing mother dies, he embarks on a reckless quest for escape, with his “disciples” in the chain gang urging him on. Chock full of religious imagery and memorable scenes, “Cool Hand Luke” is a great starting place for anti-authority escape flicks. As pedestrian as Newman might seem today (the guy has his own line of salad dressing, for God’s sake!), back in the day he was the inheritor of James Dean’s “rebel without a cause” persona.
Great scene: When Luke arrives at the prison yard, he immediately runs afoul of the domineering Dragline, who rules over the other prisoners in an unspoken monarchy. Dragline decides to teach the insolent newcomer a lesson, and the two engage in a fierce brawl. Instead of giving up, however, Luke refuses to stay down, rising to face Dragline even after enduring a brutal beating. The sight of a bruised and bloody Luke is disturbing, but inspiring, and he wins the respect of his physical superior through his display of defiance.
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Directed by: Milos Forman
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Will Sampson
Although inferior to the novel by Ken Kesey, Milos Forman’s adaptation of “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” is nonetheless an outstanding addition to the anti-authoritarian genre. Jack Nicholson is R.P. McMurphy, a smooth-talking convict who gets himself into a psychiatric ward to avoid chain gang duty. McMurphy wastes no time disturbing the meticulous schedule of the cold, calculating Nurse Ratched (Fletcher, who makes Strother Martin look like a saint), and he soon becomes a symbol of freedom and individualism for the insecure patients. Aided by the huge, deaf and dumb Chief Bromden (Sampson), McMurphy takes his new friends on an impromptu boating trip, challenges them with various bets, and even bribes the night watchman into letting them have a party, complete with girls, liquor, and rock ‘n’ roll music. Okay, so it’s pretty much a carbon copy of “Cool Hand Luke,” but like its predecessor, it works on so many levels, from the symbolism to the hilarious dialogue. When McMurphy gets his first taste of electroshock treatment, he jubilantly exclaims, “I’m hot to trot! The next woman who takes me on is gonna light up like a pinball machine and pay off in silver dollars!” (Must…fight…urge…to make…Kathy Bates “silver dollar” reference…)
Great scene: Anxious to watch the World Series on television, McMurphy attempts to change the ward schedule by democratic vote. When his motion is shot down by the autocratic Nurse Ratched, he defiantly sits in front of the blank TV screen and begins announcing a fictitious game. Soon the other patients are whooping and cheering for the imaginary baseball players while Nurse Ratched screams at them to stop. If this scene doesn’t have you rooting for the underdog, you’re probably old or something.
Midnight Express (1978)
Directed by: Alan Parker
Starring: Brad Davis, Randy Quaid, John Hurt
“Joey, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?” Well, Billy Hayes (Davis) sure has! When the young American foolishly attempts to smuggle a load of hashish out of Turkey, he lands himself in the unhappiest place on Earth. To make matters worse, the Turkish authorities decide that little Billy will serve as an example to any future smugglers, so his chances of parole become slim to none. The terrified Billy enters a world of pain, corruption, and all the necessary elements of an anti-authoritarian prison movie. Let’s check them off, shall we? Despotic prison guard? Check, and he is easily the nastiest one yet. Colorful fellow prisoners? Check, this time in the form of an escape-bent American (Quaid) and a drug-addled English intellectual (Hurt). However, “Midnight Express” forges ahead by bringing the viewer the first instance of gay prison love and providing the unintentionally hilarious source for the “Oh, Billy!” scene from “The Cable Guy.” Rent it today for a lesser known, though equally meritorious, foray into the frightening world of confinement and opposition to “the Man.”
Great scene: Having suffered in the prison for years, Billy finally earns his appeal before the Turkish court. When the jury sentences him to life imprisonment, the hopeless captive unleashes a bitter rant against the corrupt government. “The concept of a society is based on the quality of that mercy; its sense of fair play; its sense of justice! But I guess that’s like asking a bear to shit in the toilet,” wails the pitiful Billy. Desperate and brutally honest, his impassioned speech fails to sway the jury, but it impressed the world with Davis’ acting skills.