Review of Thelma & Louise (1991) by Brandon C — 19 Nov 2009

Thelma: Are you sure we should be driving like this, I mean in broad daylight and everything?

Louise Sawyer: No we shouldn't, but I want to put some distance between us and the scene of our last goddamn crime.

You know, with the number of spoofs and the memory women have of this young Brad Pitt role, it seems that people have forgotten how much of a good movie this is. Its well acted and directed, taking the road movie genre and adding a new dimension by putting two strong female leads in the main roles.

Susan Surandon and Geena Davis star as best friends, both living shitty lives in Arkansas. Surandon's Louise is a waitress with a dark past and Davis's Thelmla is a bored housewife with a dick husband, played by Chistopher "Shooter McGavin" McDonald. Thelma and Louise ditch their lives for a planned weekend vacation between them, only to run into some bad trouble. While stopped at a bar, Thelma is nearly raped, with Louise arriving in time to defend her, killing the man in the process. Now the two are on the run. Along the way, the deal with a drifter/robber played by Brad Pitt and Thelma's boyfriend played by Michael Madsen.

Louise Sawyer: You've always been crazy, this is just the first chance you've had to express yourself.

Harvey Keitel also stars as a cop on the trail of the two women, knowing that they are probably more innocent than it would seem, hoping to catch them before they get into more trouble. He is aided by an FBI agent, played by the always awesome in a nerdy way, Stephen Tobolowsky.

It may not seem like it, but between his sci-fi fantasy films and some epic/war flicks, Ridley Scott was behind the lens directing this picture and this clearly has the elements of a Scott film, albeit with added female empowerment themes making themselves very clearly apparent. Its a road buddy movie, but set in the midwest, there are plenty of large scale shots of the girls driving their car driving through vast landscapes, which is all handled quite well. The chemistry between the two feels quite natural and the way they develop over the course of the film is handled well enough.

I really enjoyed all the performances here. Of course the two leads are great, but you have a handful of supporting actors who really shine as well. McDonald plays a good asshole, Keitel is understated as the good cop who could clearly be in badass Keitel mode if he wanted to be, but it is Michael Madsen who does great work here. Along with playing it too cool for school, his character has an added sense of vulnerability and sympathy that you just don't see in other roles usually reserved for the badass persona that Madsen can supply.

Not being a country music fan, I can forgive the soundtrack just because Hans Zimmer does a great job with the film.

The film feels a little long, only to break into its ending quite quickly, but its still enjoyable and well handled all around.

Thelma: But, umm, I don't know, you know, something's, like, crossed over in me and I can't go back, I mean I just couldn't live.

Louise Sawyer: I know, I know what you mean. Anyway, don't wanna end up on the damned Giraldo show.