Review of Chattahoochee (1990) by Jessica H — 05 Aug 2010

Right after church, everything went kablowee.

Emmett Foley is a veteran of the Korean War who suffers from post dramatic stress symptoms from the war. He flips-out on Valentine?s Day and begins shooting a pistol around his neighborhood. He is arrested and sent to a mental institute in Chattahoochee Florida. Foley quickly discovers the treatment of patients in the institute is worse than anything he experienced in the war.

?He didn?t kick himself in the balls.?

Mick Jackson, director of LA Story, The Bodyguard, Volcano, Traffic, Strange World, and Temple Grandin, delivers Chattahoochee. The storyline for this picture is based on the real life events of Chris Calhoun. This was a fascinating film with brilliant character development. The cast was remarkable and included Gary Oldman, Dennis Hopper, Frances McDormand, and Ned Beatty.

?Did I win??

?You don?t smell like it.?

This film initially grabbed my attention while flicking through the channels due to its unusual name (I had never heard of Chattahoochee Florida) and the remarkable cast. This film was wonderful and reminded me a little of Brubaker. While there are a ton of these films based on mistreatment in prisons or insane asylums, this was an interesting depiction of the struggles of a war veteran with the mistreatment of prison inmates. I do recommend seeing this movie and reading the brief wikipedia article on Chris Calhoun.

?Maybe I am stupid like everyone says.?

Grade: B.