IFI CLASSIC

Gene Hackman’s favourite among his own films, and the Palme D’Or winner at Cannes in 1973, this picaresque character study remains one of the least-known gems from the golden age of early ‘70s American cinema.

Frame after beautifully-composed frame conveys a scuffed eloquence as Hackman’s uptight loner and Al Pacino’s seemingly happy-go-lucky ex-sailor hitch their way across middle America, their journey shaped by old acquaintances, outbursts of violence, stalled hopes, and last-gasp ambition.

Underneath it all there’s a deft portrait of flawed masculinity meeting the challenge of connection and commitment, Pacino providing a seemingly outgoing foil to Hackman’s brilliant work as a volatile control-freak beginning to realise the depth of his isolation. But it’s the atmosphere, the places and faces – like some Tom Waits song brought to life – which are time-locked yet timeless, in a film crying out for rediscovery. (Notes by Trevor Johnston.)

This film will feature as part of our FREE film club debate, The Critical Take, on May 29th (18.30).