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Fiercley Independent Characters in Great Movies?

posted 3 years ago by BillHicksFan (10718)
9 replies | jump to latest

R.P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) - "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest"
Jack Burns (Kirk Douglas) - "Lonely Are The Brave"

I read this nice review about the anti-Establishment, rebellious, heroic character described very well below...

"This is certainly Kirk Douglas' best movie and that is saying a lot! The loss of individuality and the valuesof the West, if anything, are more pronounced today than when the film was made. Kirk's performance is perfectly understated as fits the character he portrays. No false heroics, gore, or sensationalism which all too often ruin today's movies . One reviewer commented that there was not a satisfactory conclusion... no last words by Douglas, uncertainty about his fate, and the ambivalent response of the sheriff, Walter Matthau. This is no simple movie with clear cut heroes and villains. There are only people who contend with the compromises one accepts or, in the rare instance of Kirk's character, one attempts to overcome. The affinity between Kirk and his horse are central to the theme and end of this fine film. Everyone connected in the making of this classic. I rate it a 10."

[–] mirelurk (884) 3 years ago

Luke in Cool Hand Luke
Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption
John Keating in Dead Poets Society

[–] BillHicksFan (10718) 3 years ago

Paul Newman was great in that movie. Great character, but everyone I talk with seems to prefer his role in "The Verdict".. Good, but not like Luke. We actually saw that movie in high school Criminology class.

[–] bellington83 (3293) 3 years ago

Sanka - Cool Runnings

[–] beantown23 (1438) 3 years ago

The Dude.

[–] Mrmojo4700 (21723) 3 years ago

The Dude abides.

[–] ShogunofYonkers (78608) 3 years ago

Jeremiah Johnson (72)

Robert Redford plays a young man who has had enough of society and heads to the wilderness out in the old American West to live off the land like a hermit. For a guy who wants to be alone he meets some interesting characters, has some rousing experiences, is ‘given’ a wife and a small son and falls into a violent vendetta with the local Crow Indian tribes. This movie is 50 years old and is still a perfectly thrilling and humorous piece of work!

[–] ShogunofYonkers (78608) 3 years ago

Eastwood as The Man With No Name in the Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns (64-66) hardly ever talked much, would wander into town, seemed not to give much of a damn about anyone, was a killing machine with his pistols and would ride out of town with a sack of money in the end, headed for parts unknown.

In some ways Dirty Harry was a very similar character except he did live in a major city and served it as a Police Inspector. But Harry Callahan was a difficult guy to get along with or get to know, was gruff and introverted, generally lived and hung out alone and though he was employed to enforce the law he had no qualms about who he had to shoot to enforce it.

Eastwood is arguably America’s most stoic, gruff, violent loner/tough guy antihero actor.
A legend.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Oskar Schindler - Schindler's List

[–] GlenEllyn (21660) 3 years ago

Erin Brockovich - a nonconformist who doesn't hide who she is and isn't afraid of going after a huge corporation.