Scarecrow is a 1973 film starring Al Pacino and Gene Hackman like two wanderers who undertake a journey across the country for different purposes. Pacino’s character (Francis Lionel “Lion” Delbuchi) is an ex-sailor who returns to his home in hopes of rekindling his relationship with his ex-wife and child, whom he never met. Hackman’s (Max Millan) character is a short-tempered ex-con who wants to travel to Pittsburgh to open a car wash. Max and Lion form a friendship and agree to become partners in the car wash business, if they make a few pit stops along the way. The question is, why hasn’t anyone heard of this movie on a mainstream scale?
The film was directed by Jerry Scatzberg, a lesser-known filmmaker compared to those who worked with the two protagonists. His 1973 drama has been flying under the mainstream radar for 50 years. But it should not be so overlooked.
According to Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of over 70% from audiences and critics, and surprisingly won the prestigious Palme d’Or award at Cannes Film Festival. It features beautiful cinematography from Vilmos Zsigmond, who is considered one of the greats for his work with Robert Altman, Brian De Palma, Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg and more. There’s obvious talent here, and it’s clear that most people who’ve seen the film have given it praise and accolades despite the underrated obscurity. So why is this movie so overlooked and underrated?
Scarecrow: Overshadowed by classics
Together, Al Pacino and Gene Hackman have some of the most outstanding and prestigious filmographies of all time. Pacino’s work ranges from The godfather trilogy on Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, The Irishman, and Scarface. Hackman’s work includes award-winning films such as The French Connection, The Conversation, Unforgiven, and The Royal Tenenbaums. These films are only just scratching the surface of the immense oeuvre of these two masters of the craft. But who wouldn’t want to see a movie where the two are seen together on screen, for the only time in a fiction film?
Perhaps one of the reasons why Scarecrow being overlooked is that the plot isn’t quite as enticing as the high-stakes and realistically violent films of the actors’ careers. This movie is more about the dialogue and experiences these two characters find themselves in than a thrilling ride in the life of a mobster. It’s a slow-moving, quietly funny, but ultimately melancholy film that serves as a dual character study.
These two drifters get to know each other well and we get to know their desires through well-crafted dialogue from screenwriter Garry Michael White. The screenplay gives the audience two characters they can identify with, with actual wishes and flaws within themselves. The movie is very much a character and dialogue driven piece, which might turn some viewers away, especially if they’re attracted to these actors thanks to their grittier, darker films.
Spoiler Alert: The rest of this article contains an analysis of Scarecrow.
A play on the screen
Scarecrow is beautifully crafted and presented as if it were a stage play. There are long takes where we see Lion and Max interacting for extended periods of time, and there are some long sequences with almost no dialogue at all, just silent observation. This gives Hackman and Pacino a chance to build a chemistry that is fully realized in the film’s final moments. We grieve with Max as he sees Lion lying catatonic on a hospital bed after the tragic news he received and held. But a classic idea is used in these moments that labels the film as a tragedy and even adds tension.
Directors like Hitchcock note that the best use of suspense is to alert the audience to a fact that the characters don’t. In case of Scarecrow, we discover that Lion’s child is a boy and grows up with his mother and newlywed husband. However, when Lion is finally able to talk to his ex-wife, we discover that she is lying to him despite his absence. She claims that their son died of a miscarriage before birth, which is clearly not the case.
Lion goes into a psychiatric breakdown and is catatonic for the rest of the film. The tragedy lies in the lie itself, making the ending that much more tragic as we see Max begging to wake up his friend. Besides the incredible performances, we also have to wonder what the purpose of this movie really is.
Road trip to nowhere
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Scarecrow offers everything audiences could want in a character study. We see a fully fleshed out arc in the character of Max, who is constantly in and out of trouble with the law due to his rather heated outbursts of rage that lead to aggression and rage. He and Lion end up in jail for their violent encounter at a bar. Despite Max blaming Lion, he still seeks retribution and revenge when Lion is sexually assaulted by an inmate, and we see Max fighting for something more than himself.
This is a road trip movie, but the journey takes us nowhere. By the end of the movie, Max is back where he started, alone. Lion is kept in a hospital after his breakdown and Max goes to Pittsburgh to finish what he started. What was the point? The point of a movie like this is to spend some time with two characters that we get to know well and have an emotional connection with. Like life, there is not necessarily a point.
Sometimes, especially in a movie like Scarecrow, it’s okay to just be with characters and learn about the human experience through well crafted dialogue. A movie like this doesn’t need bombastic violence or high stakes – it needs realism, and it succeeds. It is a raw and profound look at Central American society, outcasts and bonds formed on the road less traveled. This movie deserves watching and should be discussed more as it is a brilliant showcase of the acting chops of the two lead actors. As Scarecrow turns 50 this year, hopefully it will get that much awaited attention.