Films earn their place in history; they don’t get credit for just anything. They don’t get remembered for just existing. No, films are remembered for very specific reasons. It was the best of all time, it was the worst of all time, it made the most money, it won the most awards, it caused the most controversy, it inspired the most people, it defined a generation or it ruined them forever…Films live on because they deserve to.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest earned it’s place by being, essentially, perfect.

Given that the film is over 40 years old now, I will be getting into some spoiler territory, so be warned.

McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) has a criminal past and has once again gotten himself into trouble and is sentenced by the court. To escape labour duties in prison, McMurphy pleads insanity and is sent to a ward for the mentally unstable. Once here, McMurphy both endures and stands witness to the abuse and degradation of the oppressive Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), who gains superiority and power through the flaws of the other inmates. McMurphy and the other inmates band together to make a rebellious stance against the atrocious Nurse.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest doesn’t set a single foot wrong; every minute of this film is completely brilliant. The screenplay is sharp and focused, with barely a word in it that isn’t important, it’s incredibly well shot and even better paced, packing a serious punch. But all of this is down to the dominant and ultimately defining aspect of this film, which is character, and there is a plethora of them to go through.

We’ll start with McMurphy of course, our protagonist who – well – he’s an awful person. He’s done completely terrible things, and whilst he is our protagonist, who is also funny, charming, exciting and who you root for, this film doesn’t let you think that he’s actually a good person. He’s not a hero to us – And it’s important to say “to us” – He’s just a criminal in the lime light. Still, he’s endlessly entertaining, and his development is astonishing. He doesn’t necessarily become a better person, but he starts this film out as a petty criminal pretending to be insane, and the first half of the film showcases his fish out of water status in this institute. McMurphy mocks the other patients, he gets frustrated by them, messes with them, uses them as a tool to rebel. But by the second half of the film, when he has a better understanding of his place there, he becomes one of them. He is rebellious, fearless, a man with a mission, and he becomes a hero for his fellow patients. He takes on this role with such passion, and for a very specific reason that we’ll get to in a sec, but Jack Nicholson plays this role to complete perfection. Truthfully, and I realise this a completely impossible and subjective title, he is a strong contender for greatest film performance of all time. From beginning to end, Nicholson is pitch perfect; at the beginning, he puts on an act to appear insane, and it’s completely unconvincing. The fact that it’s unconvincing is entirely essential to the film, for an immediate understanding of his character and a dose of sheer hilarity. Then, he becomes total entertainment, but as his situation becomes more serious, the performance gets a lot darker, and by the climax, he’s completely breathtaking.

Now Nicholson does a perfect job of this performance, but it’s largely down to one other character, and that is Nurse Ratched. Louise Fletcher’s performance is so understated; she doesn’t need to be obviously psychotic, like screaming and shouting or being openly sadistic. The subtlety in her performance is magnificent. Her lust for control, her pleasure in twisting and manipulating, it’s all present in the most perfect way. And that is what makes the film, the rivalry between Ratched and McMurphy. Quite early on, they become true enemies, and the pair of them relish torturing each other. It’s absolute amazing, and vital to everything that goes on this film. See, what this film does really well is creating perfect chaos in almost every scene. Almost consecutively, things will become completely out of hand; screaming, shouting, restlessness, resistance, just an amalgamation of things that reach boiling point and shit hits the fan, normally as a result of Ratched’s meddling, and the tension is unbearable. All McMurphy and Ratched have to do is look each other in the eye and your heart stars pounding. It’s a perfect on screen rivalry.

While those two are the centre of the film, the rest of the patients are absolutely essential to; for a lot of it, they work as a unit, and not only serve for purposes of humour but also as evidence of the impact these two main characters have. The scenes where they’re happy and having fun show McMurphy’s empowering nature and his ability to stand up against authority, whilst their tantrums, their rage and uncontrollable outbursts show the oppressive and straining effect that Ratched has on them. It’s awfully painful watching it, and only gets more painful as the film goes on, building up to what is one of the unbearable scenes in cinematic history, but also one of the best (This is where the spoilers start). When poor Billy Bibbit is put on the spot, his confidence and independence stripped of him as he’s reduced to a little boy by Ratched. McMurphy, a man who couldn’t have card less at the start, and can easily escape, stays behind and winces at a painful situation that he partly caused. It’s so unnerving watching this scene, especially for the first time because there’s no knowing where it will go, but tragically does end with Billy killing himself, and this breaks McMurphy. As Ratched dares to suggest that everything go back to normal, he lunges at her and strangles her to the ground. The sheer ferocity, anger, intensity of this moment is too much to handle. It’s one of the most deeply affecting things I’ve ever seen on film, as it transitions into it’s dreary ending with a slight glimmer of hope (About as slight as it can get). It’s unforgettable, and unbeatable.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a perfect piece of cinema that builds and builds upon a concrete concept and let’s everything escalate as a product of it. It’s consistent, chaotic, exhilarating, consequential, terrifying, hilarious, and about a hundred a more great adjectives that could easily be applied to it. It’s essential viewing for anyone who loves films, and quite simply, one of the best films ever made.

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is back in cinemas now!