Review of Thelma & Louise (1991) by Rob G — 18 Dec 2016

This feminist revenge fantasy exploits the cliches of the conventional road movie and male action picture then distorts rather than transcends genre. Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are a waitress and housewife, respectively, who become fugitives after one of them kills a would-be rapist.

They go on the lam across the American Southwest trying to outrun the law while reacting with hostility towards men they perceive to be sexist. The script by Callie Khouri reverses the conventions with a female chauvinist attitude.

Its just as offensive in seeing men presented as lascivious brutes as it is seeing women presented as bimbos. The final freeze frame aims for the poetry of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." It is fun to see these women take charge but simply switching gender roles doesn't make the material any more daring.

Directed by Ridley Scott with a less flashy visual style that uses the barren landscape of locations like Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon to great effect. Sarandon and Davis are spirited in their roles with Sarandon particularly forceful as the dominant of the two.

Harvey Keitel is convincingly stringent as the sympathetic cop. Won Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Selected for preservation by the National Film Registry. With Michael Madsen, Christopher McDonald, Brad Pitt in his first major role, Stephen Tobolowsky.