Birdy

If ever I needed convincing that Nicholas Cage is a great actor and human being, it is in this role and the brilliant performance of Birdie himself. If ever good can be portrayed as coming out of bad, it is the deeply moving message and point of making a movie like this. Who needs convincing that war is evil, that life is cruel and that love conquers all its madness? Who can even begin to understand the torment of post-traumatic stress? Those who perpetrate suffering not only to humans but animals alike can never have the empathy that defines us as human. On many levels, the story and how it is told, speaks to the heart and we weep in sympathy for the pain of those who suffer whether from mental illness, bullying or the unspeakable abuses of war. Where have all the great movie makers like Alan Parker gone? There is nothing but fake, shallow and profit orientated products that mirror the fake, shallow and insecure "virtual" relating that goes on today. For that I weep. It has created a hunger deeper than that suffered from starving Biafra.

Birdy (Matthew Modine) is the weirdo kid in a working class Philadelphia neighborhood. Al Columbato (Nicolas Cage) becomes his friend. Birdy introduces Al to his love of pigeons. They're both sent to Vietnam. Birdy returns in psychological distress after a month MIA. Al returns after suffering wounds to his face. Birdy's doctor finds Al to help in his treatment.

These are two great performances. Matthew Modine transforms physically and also mentally. Cage is the conduit between the audience and Birdy. He's not necessarily in the easier role at the least. They're both equally amazing. This isn't a movie about big plot developments. It's watching the obsessive Birdy going deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole.

"Birdy"is an outstanding character study with a well-written script that was directed by a very talented director (Alan Parker of "Pink Floyd The Wall", "Midnight Express", "Mississippi Burning", and "Angel Heart"). Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage both gave unforgettable performances in this dark, disturbing yet somehow uplifting story of two friends from South Philadelphia, Al (Cage) and Birdy (Modine in the performance that easily could be one of the best ever given by any actor on screen and sadly has been overlooked for too long). Birdy is an innocent and odd young man who has been always fascinated by birds and wanted to learn to fly. Both friends had to take a traumatic tour of duty in Vietnam that affected them tremendously – both physically and mentally. The film is not about Vietnam, though – it is a brilliant story of friendship and how far Al would go for his friend. The film has one of the most original and surprising endings ever.

I can't believe I took so long to get round to seeing this AMAZING FILM!

It captivated me from the start, beautifully filmed, powerful, sensitive, funny - Incredibly acted by Modine and Cage!

I would like to thank the reviewer that warned about the animal cruelty in 1 scene - I 'think' it was just after the stray dog scene, but I fast forwarded it a littler bit, so didn't seeing anything upsetting.

This film is a must see for any avid movie lover, and yes the ended was AWESOME!

10 out 10, and i'm going on to Amazon to buy a copy.

Enjoy!

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's such a great growing-up buddy flick. Despite the serious subject matter (shell-shocked, catatonic Vietnam vet in mental hospital), the movie manages to be very light-hearted for the most part, without discounting the gravity of the situation that the characters are in. It doesn't seek to use the war as a means of creating the identities of the characters, the war and the "present situation" in the film (most of the film is flashbacks) are more background to the story of two crazy Philly kids growing up together.

The movie is full of laughs that don't occur at the expense of the characters, but rather, bring you closer to them. I personally identified with Matthew Modine's character, and found myself laughing in spite of myself at some of his mishaps and wondering "how did I ever survive being a teenager?"

Modine plays Birdy flawlessly. His character, while strange, is certainly believable and definitely likeable. He's like the visionary mystic friend I never had! Nicholas Cage is equally good as Al, Birdy's more down-to-earth lady's man friend. Their friendship seems unlikely on the outside, but powerful and inevitable by the end of the movie.

I think it's strange that some people didn't like the ending to Birdy. I think it's one of the best movie endings for a buddy film ever. It accurately reflects the tone of Birdy and Al's relationship more than any other ending possibly could. It ties their characters in the present in perfectly with the growing-up characters of the flashback sequences. Perfect!