This is one of the undoubted classics of 70's American cinema. This is Nickolson at his best, like in The Last Detail, the consummate anti-hero, the film never succumbing to cheap easy glories for its main protagonist. He is the archetypical under-achieving misfit, who may or may not deserve our sympathy. Victim of circumstance or does he bring his own troubles upon himself? No easy answers will be found here. I just regret that Nicholson isn't admired enough for these understated roles, and that Rafelson only came close again in the magnificent King of Marvin Gardens.
Review of Five Easy Pieces
