Thelma & Louise

THELMA & LOUISE has to be regarded as a pure 90s classic that brought up a considerable amount of risk in creating a first-person feminist formula into a mainstream movie, which is often missing. It pulls off fantastically true in form, with the exceptional Southern character talents of the two lady fugitives on the run, Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, who may stand out as memorable on the silver screen. Let's not forget that silly truck driver they pass quite often, and of course, cowboy Brad Pitt as a young student. While not needed to be fully reliant on action substances like gunshooting, there is good chemistry within its grasp. Every single minute should not be wasteful, as plenty of refreshing outbursts of enjoyment outweighs the familiar old plot of evading the police. The ending is a definite eye catcher, and also the riskiest ever filmed! Beware of this rip-off called GOOD GIRLS DON'T, another poor B-movie with no redeeming quality. Satisfyingly original, and highly recommended!

Boy oh boy, where to start with this one? This movie affected me so deeply when it first came out. I saw it many times in the theater and was blown away every single time. Deep and powerful, yet hilarious and fun in many parts. This one is flawless. My girlfriends and I still quote lines from this. This movie is NOT man bashing. It has some very powerful things to say about choices, friendship and the life that you make for yourself. Truly memorable and the kind of movie that really stays with you.

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" made a huge splash when it was released and has since become a part of the pop culture lexicon. In it, a mistreated housewife and harried waitress stumble into an out-of-control - but totally liberating - crime spree. As bold and relevant as ever, it remains a vastly entertaining must-see.

Callie Khouri's screenplay is a feeling, funny classic and director Ridley Scott lends this road movie epic scope, seeking out the beauty in open spaces.

Both leads - Geena Davis as Thelma and Susan Sarandon as Louise - give fine performances. Thelma and Louise become fully realized human beings who share a powerful and authentic friendship. Their transformation into two outlaws is also made entirely believable by the actresses.

And what about the men? Harvey Keitel is charming as the sympathetic lawman, Hal, and Michael Madsen's turn as Louise's boyfriend Jimmy is wonderfully nuanced. Brad Pitt also leaves a strong impression as the winsome blonde thief J.D. It's easy to see why this film made Pitt a star.

"Thelma and Louise" is a film of rare cultural resonance, to be sure. Yet while undoubtedly provocative, this movie is also alot of fun.

This is one of the rare times that I went to see this movie more than once. When I first saw it "I had no idea what to expect" and neither did the audience. Everybody thought we were "Seeing a Comedy". So the events in this film shook me (and the rest of the audience) to my core. What I saw was a film that did not follow the predictableness of a Hollywood film. What I got was an eye opener. I loved the film regardless of the events that happen in the film.

I do not want to give this entire film plot away but to me "Everyone Should See This Film". It is a statement on relationships and how things happen when you "Never Saw It Coming" WOW!!