Scarecrow (1973)

The so-called road movie is a well-worn one, ranging from the execrable (Are We There Yet? [2005]) to the sublime (Sideways [2005]). Thankfully, and somewhat unsurprisingly when you consider the talent on display, Scarecrow is much closer to Alexander Payne’s masterpiece than it is to the Ice Cube fronted drek. The plot, if you want to find one, is as straightforward as it comes. Gene Hackman’s ex-con Max is just out of prison, and traveling up the coast with dreams of opening his own car washing business; Lionel ‘Lion’ (Al Pacino) is returning from a long time away at sea, to meet his child that he’s never met.

The opening sequence sets the scene well for the film, with both Lion and Max pitching up at the same stretch of rural road trying to hitch a lift. After seemingly getting off on the wrong foot, the film then fast forwards a few hours to the pair having hitched the same lift and now sitting at a diner discussing partnership in a car washing business. This is pretty much the film in a nutshell; the pair of them traveling to their destination getting into scraps and all sorts of mishap (Max has a terrible temper) but both of them have good hearts, and their strange friendship is, in the end, what makes the film work. Director Jerry Schatzberg’s previous feature, Panic In Needle Park (1971) is highly respected in many circles and also starred Pacino; Scarecrow saw him share the grand jury prize at Cannes. Despite its oddities, Scarecrow works because of the terrific performances from the films’ central pairing. Both Pacino and Hackman are utterly believable and bounce off each other convincingly, and you can see here and there snippets of influence on future filmmaking. 7.7/10