Thelma & Louise (1991)

 

There are road movies and there are road movies directed by Ridley Scott creating one of the most iconic film duos ever. Heck, even people who have never seen this particular film have at least knowledge of the whole "Thelma & Louise"-concept and the ending has been referenced and parodied beyond measure. 

This is one heck of a great film. And it's all thanks to how invested you become in the two leads. 

Thelma and Louise are best friends. Louise is a smart-ass waitress and Thelma an almost mousy housewife. They want to head out for the weekend on a little trip, just the two of them and have some fun. But when they stop and have a few drinks, Thelma is sexually assaulted. It might have ended there, but Louise almost but not really inexplicably shoots and kills the assailant. The ladies panic and run off and thus the adventure starts for real.

See, instead of going to the police, Louise gets the idea to head for Mexico. We learn later in the film why she is so reluctant to go to the police and why she dilikes Texas so very much. It's there between the lines, but the slow reveal is pretty spot on. Along the way, they meet some characters and the dynamic between the two starts to shift, where slowly but surely Thelma becomes the more 'wild' one. 

Let's just say things get heated and soon they are being chased by the police, leading up to probably one of thé most iconic endings in cinema history.

You might think how this tale of two women could become so gripping, but that is because we spend so much time with them, we feel more and more for our leads. Of course, it helps that they are played by two great ladies of cinema, namely Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis. Sarandon is effin' brilliant as Louise, trust me. But the supporting cast also works really well. Harvey Keitel doesn't have a lot to do, but the guy is a presence. Something that also works is Michael Madsen playing a really sweet and unassuming guy, whereas he's usually chosen to be either a gangster or a gruff police officer. 

Nice touch, Ridley.

The cinematography is also top notch. The landscapes are well chosen and because the ladies choose to take some backwater roads instead of the interstates, you get some scenery that is jaw-dropping, shot in warm tones. 

It's that, or dust. Either way, it looks good. 

And that ending... Let's just say it tugs on the heartstrings if you've been with the ladies all the way. You might not think so at first, but thanks to clever editing and the development of the story, you're right there and it hits hard. 

Drama done right, you say? Quite so.