Thelma & Louise

Directed by Ridley Scott, Thelma & Louise follows the title characters (Geena Davis’ Thelma and Susan Sarandon’s Louise) as they embark on a weekend getaway that quickly takes a dangerous turn. Filmmaker Scott, working from Callie Khouri’s screenplay, delivers a slightly overlong yet predominantly satisfying drama that benefits from its raft of engaging, engrossing performances, as Davis and Sarandon inhabit their respective protagonists to an extent that is, for the most part, nothing short of hypnotic (and it doesn’t hurt, either, that there’s palpable chemistry between the actors) – with their stirring work certainly matched (and heightened) by the efforts of an eclectic supporting cast that includes Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Christopher McDonald, and Brad Pitt. The almost episodic midsection is, as a result, generally far more consistent and propulsive than one might’ve anticipated, as Scott has packed the proceedings with a number of compelling sequences that sustain the viewer’s interest and, ultimately, pave the way for a seriously spellbinding final stretch – with the justifiably iconic finale cementing Thelma & Louise‘s place as a thoroughly rewarding endeavor that ranks near the top of Scott’s hit-and-miss filmography.

***1/2 out of ****