Review of Easy Rider (1969) by Ivan D — 28 Mar 2010

One of those few, unorthodox, avant-garde American films to be named one of the best by AFI, and in my opinion, it rightfully deserved the honor. The main protagonists(not including George Hanson) was not literal characters, but instead personifications and moving, breathing symbols of many people's states of mind during the time.

Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper delivered great performances as Wyatt and Billy, the two riders who decided to go into a cross-country journey against the wind of conformity to be in time for Mardi Gras.

But do not be misled, that festival was merely a Macguffin to give way for the real intent of the film: And it is to show the changing morals, lifestyles, and beliefs, sometimes for the worst, of an ever-changing, evolving America.

And just what Jack Nicholson's character(in a brilliant performance) said: "This used to be a good country", and he's right. In some ways, "Easy Rider" reminded me a lot of Fellini's "circus of life" point of view, as the protagonists encounter many disillusioned people along the way.

There were some disturbing sequences, which I found to be brilliantly filmed, and the final, tragic scene symbolized America's unwillingness to submit to Hippies' different view of the word "freedom".