(1968)
3
Donald Guarisco
This early entry from future Stunt Man auteur Richard Rush is a colorful, exciting time capsule from the flower-power era. Psych-Out remains fresher today than many of the other "hippie lifestyle" films of the late '60s, mainly due to the sheer amount of talent involved. Rush directs the proceedings with economic skill, utilizing plenty of real San Francisco locations to atmospheric effect and combining Laszlo Kovacs' kinetic photography with a punchy editing style to create plenty of exciting set pieces that keep the film's tempo moving ever forward. Psych-Out also benefits from a gaggle of future stars in its cast. Susan Strasberg makes a likable enough heroine, but the show is stolen from her outright by three backup characters: Jack Nicholson shows off the charm that he'd soon parlay into stardom as her romantic interest, Dean Stockwell provides charismatic support as the sarcastic yin to Nicholson's yang, and future blaxploitation icon Max Julien steals a few scenes as a good-time compatriot with a taste for psychedelics (his hallucinatory fight scene with a group of junkyard thugs is a highlight). There is also a brief, but memorable, turn from Bruce Dern as the lost brother that sets the template for the many lunatics he'd play in the years to come. All in all, Psych-Out is the kind of quickie exploitation item you'd expect from the title and plot summary but it's so exuberant and stylish that its charm is tough to deny. Any cult movie fan with a yen for 1960s-set films should add this one to their list.
releases for Psych-Out on AllMovie
Psych-Out (1968)
|
Title/Studio |
Release Date |
|
Psych-Out
MGM
More
|
April 5, 2004 |
