Klute 1971 R, 114 min. Genre: Mystery
Director: Alan J. Pakula Cast: Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi, Roy Scheider, Jean Stapleton, Rita Gam, Dorothy Tristan, Richard B. Shull, Vivian Nathan, Nathan George
Jane Fonda won an Oscar for her insightful depiction of a prostitute, Bree, whose life is in danger. John Klute (Donald Sutherland) meets her when the trail of his missing friend leads to Bree.
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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 1975 R, 129 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Milos Forman Cast: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, William Redfield, Brad Dourif, Michael Berryman, Scatman Crothers, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Peter Brocco, William Duell, Dean R. Brooks, Alonzo Brown, Nathan George, Sydney Lassick, Ted Markland
Jack Nicholson's performance is great as Randle Patrick McMurphy, a convict who feigns mental problems to get himself out of prison. He is admitted to a psychiatric ward, realizes that jail was not so bad, and fights the system of drugging patients to keep them "quiet." In the process, he helps the other patients to gain a sense of self-worth. All this is done under the disapproving eye of insensitive Nurse Ratched (Louise Fledcher). The picture won five Academy awards: Best Picture, Actor (Nicholson), Actress (Fletcher), Director (Milos Forman), and Writing and was nominated for four others, including Best Supporting Actor (Brad Dourif).
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Short Eyes 1977 R, 104 min. Genre: Drama aka: Slammer
Director: Robert M. Young Cast: Bruce Davison, Jose Perez, Nathan George, Don Blakely, Shawn Elliott, Mark Margolis, Curtis Mayfield, Miguel Pinero, Tito Goya, Joseph Carberry, Bob Maroff, Keith Davis, Bob O'Connell, Richard Matamoros, Freddy Fender
Based on Miguel Pinero's play, this is a powerful story about prison life. Short Eyes is prison lingo for "child molester," and Bruce Davison takes on that role as prisoner Clark Davis at "The Tombs"–the Manhattan House of Detention–whose fellow detainees treat him as they would the lowest form of life. Many in the cast are not professional actors; instead they are former convicts, and this adds to the believability of the story.
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The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 1974 R, 104 min. Genre: Drama / Thriller
Director: Joseph Sargent Cast: Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Earl Hindman, James Broderick, Dick O'Neill, Jerry Stiller, Rudy Bond, Kenneth McMillan, Lee Wallace, Doris Roberts, Beatrice Winde, Nathan George, Tom Pedi
Four gangsters–Mr. Blue (Robert Shaw), Mr. Green (Martin Balsam), Mr. Gray (Hector Elizondo), and Mr. Brown (Earl Hindman)–hold the passengers on a New York subway train hostage and demand a large ransom. Their leader, Mr. Blue, tries to outfox Transit Authority detective Lieutenant Garber (Walter Matthau) when he negotiates with them for the passengers' release while their train sits in a tunnel surrounded by police.
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| 1. Klute (1971)
2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
3. Short Eyes (1977) aka: Slammer
4. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
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