Leighton Trent’s review:
Probably what was a punch to the gut when the book first came out, the film had to be just as much of a wake-up call to what really goes on in these institutions. The acting is exceptional from everyone. Nicholson finds a way to create an indelible character basically from his own human traits, just emphasized and Louise Fletcher is like a guarded insect whose tics and facial expressions from the effects of her job have long since been retired from the arena of her face. She is a cold, bruising bitch of woman who seems nice, casual at first, but eventually breaks your spirit through remorse, self-pity, and self-loathing. The rest of the cast, from Christopher Lloyd to Brad Dourif to Danny DeVito and even Will Sampson as Chief are an incredibly well-balanced, well-used group. The script and it's story are unflinching: funny, raw, and real all at the same time. It's ending is dark, stoic, and poetic - it haunts me. The film is beautiful not because of how it looks, but because it is truthful, and sometimes that's all we need from a movie.