Scarecrow

Directed by Jerry Schatzberg, Scarecrow follows Gene Hackman’s Max and Al Pacino’s Lionel as they meet on the road and subsequently embark on a trip to Pittsburgh – where they’re planning to open a car wash together. Filmmaker Schatzberg, armed with Garry Michael White’s screenplay, kicks Scarecrow off with a terrific opening stretch that effectively establishes the two central characters and their rather irresistible chemistry together, and it’s clear, certainly, that the picture’s impact is heightened considerably by the engrossing and persistently captivating efforts of its stars – with Hackman and Pacino’s top-tier work here going a long way towards elevating even the most minor of sequences. There’s little doubt, as well, that the film benefits from an episodic narrative that’s been crammed with striking, compelling sequences (eg Max and Lionel attempt to discuss their plans in a bustling restaurant), and although its midsection admittedly does boast a rather hit-and-miss feel, Scarecrow progresses into an increasingly enthralling third act that’s ultimately capped off with a note-perfect final scene – which cements the whole thing’s place as an above-average character study that is, on top of everything else, surprisingly funny on a consistent basis.

*** out of ****