Raising Arizona
The frenetic genius of The Coen Brothers’ style of filmmaking has been well documented in many places, whether the film be good or bad, with only one time (Big Lebowski) did they achieve a true work of transcendent, timeless brilliance, but this 1987 release during their so called “formative” years is probably the closest they came to doing so otherwise. At its heart not just a wild, wacky comedy (one of the wildest and wackiest ever made), but also an over the top satire of so called redneck culture (a well they have hit many times since) as well as a fascinating character piece about a good hearted career criminal forced to face off literally with his own dark side. Nicolas Cage (a good many years before he hit the A list) takes the lead role here, arguably among his goofiest and most distinct turns ever, as H.I. McDonough (called “Hi”), a ne’vr do well who turns to robbing convenience stores (without any ammo) because there’s just no way a regular guy in the 80s is going to make it in this world with that “sumbitch Reagan” in The White House. During his various arrests and convictions while being processed, he meets and falls for the attending officer (Holly Hunter, in one of the few roles where her Southern accent fit perfectly) that takes his mugshots each time. Eventually, on what should be his final release from prison, he marries her, moves into a trailer park in “suburban Tempe, Arizona” (desert) and the two get to work on starting a family, only to be devastated upon discovering that she is unable to bear children. When news breaks of a local furniture tycoon and his wife having quintuplets, the two come up with a plan to kidnap one and raise it as their own, with unforgettable results. Much of the plot as just described takes up only the first ten minutes of the film at a rapid pace, and the rest of the film conforms to that same level of insanity throughout, and that is where The Coens’ amazing verve comes into play, starting with a near unforgettable list of supporting characters at hand. Cage and Hunter are of course perfect but special mention must be made of Trey Wilson (a top character actor in the late 80s who died shockingly of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1989 at age 40) as the blowhard furniture tycoon who implores everyone around him to find his missing son is given some corny dialogue at times, but Wilson plays it off well by making it clear that Nathan Arizona is kind of a cornball individual in his own right, albeit a good man who knows the difference between right and wrong considering the situations he faces; John Goodman (in a sly warmup to his legendary blowhard Walter Sobchak in Lebowski) and William Forsythe offer effective comic relief as two escaped convict fugitive brothers (and old friends of Hi’s from inside) who hide out at the couple’s trailer and eventually decide to kidnap the baby for themselves to take on a crime spree; Sam McMurray and Francis McDormand as Hi’s boss and his wife who try to persuade him to be a part of the swinger lifestyle are living proof that (along with McMurray’s propensity for telling Polish jokes) being somewhat well off doesn’t absolve you from being white trash; and finally best of all there is Randall “Tex” Cobb as what at first appears to be a random attempt to give the film a monstrous, major villain, that being a “lone biker of the Apocalypse” who tries to shake Arizona down for considerably more than the reward that was offered, and failing that, sets off to track down the baby so he can sell it on the black market, with the fascinating conceit being that Cobb may very well be in fact the evil incarnation of Hi himself (with ample evidence of such), showing what the lovable dimwit would be like if he embraced his evil side and became a completely ruthless, evil, outlaw criminal. Of course, with this lineup of characters The Coens prove themselves to be second to none when it comes to conceiving some insane comic setpieces, not the least of which being an extended chase scene after Hi tries to rob a convenience store against his wife’s wishes (and whose punchline was later stolen for a similar scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), with other bits including but not limited to, an all out fight scene in the cramped confines of a run down trailer (where the lack of space plays a role in the outcome), and of course the final confrontation between Cobb and our main couple, where the creative inspiration just leaves the viewer in awe. It should also be noted that with all the epic and awesome comedy stuff, The Coens manage to pencil in just enough small, quiet “character moments” which are funny in and of itself while still making these people we’re following even more endearing. Dismissed by many as just another 80s comedy, this is actually up there as one of the best movies of that decade, period, and is a must own and treasure for any fans of The Brothers Coen along with any of the actors on hand for the ride…
10/10