Thelma & Louise

Back in the 30s and 40s, there was a kind of movie known as the women's picture. These were typically romantic dramas told from a female perspective, and while they often featured headstrong intelligent women (at least by the standards of typical portrayals), they would often have some kind of moral at the end about being a loyal and obedient wife as a kind of final goal in a woman's life. It was a long time, even years after the era of women's lib that patriarchy in the movies began to be completely deconstructed. The subject of women driven to murder by the actions of men was not a new one when Thelma & Louise was made in 1991. But if you look at a picture like Play Misty for Me from two decades earlier, where a used woman becomes the antagonist in a Psycho-type thriller, or I Spit on your Grave (1978) in which a woman's revenge for being raped could only be shown in a lurid exploitation movie, we can see how far the perspective has had to shift.

Thelma & Louise, brilliantly scripted by Callie Kouri, gives an explanation for violence by women towards men, and it does so with amazing simplicity. There are no explicit arguments made. No character makes an overt feminist statement – the closest it comes to that is a by-the-way reminder by Geena Davis to the abducted policeman to be nice to his wife. The message, as it were, is up there in the screen as the story takes place. And although the basic outline of Thelma & Louise is very much out-of-the-ordinary for most women, if you break it down moment by moment, the men they encounter and the exchanges they have are very much on the near side of normal.

A lot of Thelma & Louise's power is in its magnificent cast. Both Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis have a remarkable realism that demonstrates a great rapport between the two characters. When they laugh together, it's the laughter of two friends. Sarandon is brilliant at keeping that mystery to her character – the secret in Louise's past is bubbling under the surface of her performance long before it is revealed to the audience. Davis does an excellent job of showing character development, growing from the sheltered housewife into an independent woman comfortable with her newfound criminality. And it's neat how her sense of playfulness remains somehow consistent even as she changes. There are plenty of decent supporting performances as well. Brad Pitt was obviously chosen primarily for his youthful good looks, but he can act with it. Michael Madsen is very good too, intimidating in his controlled anger, but radiating a presence that makes his attractiveness to Louise understandable.

The movie is directed by that meticulous craftsman Ridley Scott. He manages the movement in the frame with expert control for the right effect. In the opening scenes, the camera follows Sarandon around the chaos of the café. As she moves into a backroom during her phone call to Davis, the movement in the background tails off but is kept going by the chef juggling a can, and then as she moves across further the backdrop becomes the tranquil fish tank. These natural-looking set-ups are carefully controlling the mood of the image. As this road movie progresses, the backgrounds become increasingly wide open and breathtakingly beautiful, in line with the spirits of its protagonists. Scott culminates all this with some wonderful stylisation in the final action sequence. The movie would be in danger of becoming overly technical if it wasn't for his almost constant focus on Davis and Sarandon's faces, such as their quiet smiles as they cross Monument Valley by night.

For all its feminist modernity, as a type of movie, Thelma & Louise treads familiar ground. The story of sympathetic criminals running free across the country as fate closes in can be seen in such classics as High Sierra (1941), Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). Really, the only major difference here is that the criminals are both women, not a couple of male hoods or a gangster and his moll. And yet, all it takes is this simple gender substitution to speak volumes about the experience of women in this society. That it does so without resorting to sermonising, and keeping up a healthy feeling of fun, makes Thelma & Louise an outstanding motion picture.

Thelma and Louise is a rarity. It is a buddy movie about two women, and it is one of the best road movies to ever grace the screen.

Louise (Susan Sarandon) and Thelma (Gina Davis) are two friends who plan a road trip into the mountains for the weekend. Neither one of their lives seems exciting at the moment. Louise waits tables at the local diner and is also waiting on boyfriend Jimmy (Michael Madsen)who is always traveling and seems destined to never settle down. Thelma is a sexually repressed housewife who lives at home with a self-important husband (Christopher McDonald) who doesn't seem to care much for her at all except when she is not fulfilling her house-wife duties like having diner made and the house cleaned.

It is no wonder these two decide to take a trip for the weekend to the mountains to get away for awhile and have fun. Of course there is an event that happens not long after they have started their journey, and right after said event, things quickly spiral out of control as the two girls find themselves racing for Mexico with the law quickly on their heels.

This movie could've been just another boring road picture, but both Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon along with a fine script and clever pacing by director Ridley Scott, make it much better. Davis and Sarandon have great chemistry together, and the script is loaded with offbeat humor to go along with its clever story. The movie is never boring because Ridley Scott makes it so by slowing the pace down at the right moments, and then picking it back up when necessary. I enjoyed all the characters, including the minor ones which included a cameo by Brad Pitt as the young hitchhiker JD who Thelma quickly falls in lust with.

Some people may see this as the ultimate female picture, but I think it is more than that. Harvey Keitel is the inspector on the case who believes that these girls really aren't as bad as some may think, and his character is interesting as well because he seems to understand why everything involving the girls has lead up to this series of unfortunate events. Michael Madsen, as Louise's boyfriend Jimmy, also adds depth to his role as a man who though upset with what Louise is going to do understands and loves her still. These two characters add something more to the story which makes it less of a feminist picture without once taking away from the two leads. If that was even possible.

My only gripe with the movie would be the ending. Not the way it ended but how quickly it rushed to the end credits. I for one, like Roger Ebert who stated the same thing in his review of the movie, believe that the ending should of lasted a little longer before fading out. That's my only problem, and it's the only reason why the movie doesn't get a perfect score from me.

Through his career, Ridley Scott was an eclectic film-maker because he broached (with success) several cinema styles: science-fiction with "Alien", historical film with "1492: Christopher Colombus". Here, he succeeded very well his way to the road-movie and this one is listed among the best road-movies ever made. At first look, the story looks simple and without too many claims: two young women, Thelma and Louise are going out for the week-end with the firm intention of having a ball. But what they don't know is that this drive will soon become a descent into hell... The movie is worth seeing for its two main actresses: Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, both outstanding and what interests Ridley Scott, is their temperament and their evolution during the movie. At the beginning, a sensitive and fragile Thelma is next to a energetic and realistic Louise but in the second part of the movie, more precisely, after Thelma burglarized a shop (probably the best sequence in the whole movie) in order to grab money, roles are reversed. This is an occasion to make out Louise's wounds and weaknesses. So, don't rely too much on appearances... "Thelma and Louise" is also a movie where Scott takes a lucid look on the hidden side of the American society and especially on men. Scott introduces them to us with their worst faults: either they're macho (Darryl), obscene (the truck driver), perverse (the rapist) or coward (the cop). The only one saved is Harvey Keitel who never falls into the caricature of the American cop usually described to us as merciless or obsequious. Here, he shows understanding and even compassion towards the two runaways, notably Louise because he knows that she hides a terrible secret. A dynamic and panting movie where laugh and sorrow are skillfully married.

Thelma and Louise is an incredible, if familiar, adventure that's funny, well paced and emotional. Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis give incredible performances and have fantastic chemistry. Harvey Keitel, Brad Pitt and Michael Madsen all give really good supporting performances. Ridley Scott's direction is amazing and the music by Hans Zimmer is great as well as the soundtrack.

For many years now, women have taken power into their own hands. So I am sure the women that campaigned for freedom and liberty, would have loved the movie, 'Thelma and Louise'. The tradition of the American road trip is shown in such a refreshing way in this movie, with its two lead characters people who are fed up with life, and no longer take any crap from the men that they live with or that they meet. Thelma and Louise is a film that will make you feel warm, but also leave a some what 'bitter-sweet' taste in your mouth.

Thelma and Louise are best friends on a desperate flight across the American Southwest after a tragic incident at a roadside bar. With determined detective Hal on their trail, a sweet-talking hitchhiker called 'J.D.' in their path and a string of crimes in their wake, their journey alternates between a hilarious, high-octane joy ride and an empowering personal odyssey... even as the law closes in.

'Thelma and Louise' are exceptionally well written characters for the big-screen. Callie Khouri wrote a fascinating script, capturing the 'female power' beautifully. But it is in her characters that I like the most. While, I had feelings for both Thelma and Louise, I also wanted the pair to get caught, and part of me also loved what made the pair the individuals that they were. This is all from the great work of Khouri, who is an intelligent screenwriter. I have watched this film a couple of weeks after viewing another of Callie's movies, 'Something to talk about', another movie from the female point of view that both sexes can enjoy.

Yet Callie's screenplay would have been a waste, if the actors did not play their part properly. The main stars here are Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon), who are some what fed up with the life that they are living, and plan a trip to get away from everything. Things soon start to get out of hand for the women, and when trouble causes them have shoot and kill somebody, the fun really starts. In fact from the time that this incident begins and concludes, the movie to the very end was for me, one great joy ride.

Davis and Sarandon share a great bond on the film. Thelma and Louise are great friends, but completely different characters in their own right. Davis plays a ditsy sort of character, who is naïve, but becomes an individual once again, after the men in her life have been nothing but tragedy after tragedy. Then with Sarandon, I got the feeling that she was the one that had the 'balls' out of the two, making her best friend realise that they should stand for no crap anymore. It was a shame that neither actress won an academy award for their role, but of course they were up against a great performer in another 1991 movie, that being Jodie Foster in 'Silence of the Lambs'. If foster was not there, I am certain that one of these two would have walked away with an academy award.

Yet there are other cast members that need to be highlighted from 'Thelma and Louise'. I enjoyed what DJ (Brad Pitt) brought to the film. He was a character that I trusted, but like the girls, I was scorned after working out how bad he was. Then there is Louise's love interest, Jimmy (Michael Madison), who shows his girlfriend glimpses of what she is trying to escape, and that being married to him would be a mistake. Then to round the cast of this film is Police detective Hal (played by Hollywood legend, Harvey Keitel). Hal is genuinely interested in working out the situation with the girls, but realises that these are extraordinary women, in an extraordinary situation.

'Thelma and Louise' is well directed by Oscar winning director, Ridley Scott. I feel that he brought out the road trip of the girls well, making it really interesting for the viewer, as we want to know what is going to happen as the girls go from one situation to another. Scott also helps to define what makes the girls tick as individuals, and to why they are such great friends. He also makes it easy for his audience to understand what theses girls are doing is necessary to their freedom and survival.

I also like the locations that were chosen and shot for this movie, showing off much of America that we rarely get the chance to see. The American west, which is where the majority of the film takes place, looks partly like a fun place to live, but also a place that holds great danger for the girls. Thelma also emphasises that going through 'Texas' is completely out of the picture. Then when the girls are really on the run we get the chance to see some of the great cannons that America has to offer. The camera work by cinematographer Adrian Biddle is exceptional, and makes wonder what it would be like to visit such a part of the world.

There is a lot to like about this movie. Things like its style, story, lingo, characters and conclusion, which are all captivating. I feel that the audience of this movie is on an intoxicating sort of ride here, by the sort adventure that 'Thelma and Louise' allows us to experience. We are affected by what affects this pair. Well I know I was anyway. This movie also proves, by creating more problems, you do not make the situation you are in better, but much worse. Nevertheless, it looks like fun to be on the run!

CMRS gives 'Thelma and Louise': 4.5 (Very Good - Brilliant Film)