4. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) (Dir. Milos Forman)
Jack Nicholson gives his greatest ever performance as R.P. McMurphy, a convict who pretends to be insane so that he can skip prison and get a cushy sentence in a mental hospital. As a drama and comedy film combined, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest attains heights that others in the genre could only dream of reaching. Be it because we feel we get to know each patient individually over the course of film, or the fact that JackĀ NicholsonĀ has never been more likeable than he is here, Forman’s film is absolutely riveting from start to finish, driven by a sense of honesty grounded in the director’s amicable approach to the material. But as well as being hilarious, Cuckoo’s Nest is a heartbreaking and tender film, one that asks its audience to find the good in every man. Nurse Ratched, of course… well, she remains one of cinema’s greatest ever villains. A powerful, life-affirming masterpiece, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest has it all.