The Screen Addict | Thelma & Louise (1991)

𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻: 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘂𝘀 (𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰) currently making bank in cinemas is the perfect opportunity to revisit one of Ridley Scott’s best films – 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗮 & 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗲.

I believe I first saw 𝗧&𝗟 on late-night TV back in the early Nineties. I had just figured out that my three favorite films, 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻 (𝟭𝟵𝟳𝟵), 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 (𝟭𝟵𝟴𝟮) and 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻 (𝟭𝟵𝟴𝟵) were all directed by this guy called Ridley Scott, and I saw that same name pop up in the opening credits of 𝗧&𝗟.

The other thing I immediately noticed during the first three minutes of the film, was the gorgeous, atmospheric film score. I learned that the person responsible for this sumptuous soundtrack, was a composer whose name I had spotted on several other movies that had struck a chord with me – Hans Zimmer.

Scott and Zimmer have collaborated on six equally stunning productions, but if you twist my arm and put a gun to my head, I will admit that 𝗧&𝗟 is my favorite Scott-Zimmer score. Don’t ask me to include the amazing work Zimmer did for the other Scott in this tally, because then it would definitely become impossible for me to pick a number one.

In any event – the music and striking images of 𝗧&𝗟’s opening sequence instantly grab a hold of me and the film does not let up until the end credits roll.

Complementing Zimmer’s score throughout the film is a fine selection of country music. By far my favorite song used in 𝗧&𝗟 however, is Marianne Faithfull’s The Ballad of Lucy Jordan. Something about the lyrics and composition just makes Faithfull’s tunes match perfectly with Scott’s visuals.

See for yourself:

Obviously, I already own several DVD and Blu-ray versions of 𝗧&𝗟, but when I found out specialty label Capelight Pictures was going to release a 3-disc, 4k special-edition Blu-ray (pictured), I just couldn’t resist. You know how the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result? Well, buying multiple prints of the same film is my version of that.

The cast of 𝗧&𝗟 is just lovely. The word iconic is being thrown around rather indiscriminately these days (especially in my country) but Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis absolutely do fit that bill with their portrayal of the title characters. The image of the two in Louise’s turquoise Ford Thunderbird is one of the most significant visual cues in film history, right up there with Doc Brown’s DeLorean and Elliot’s BMX bicycle.

Furthermore – rewatching 𝗧&𝗟 made me realize once again just how incredible both Sarandon and Davis are in this film. In fact – their performances made such an impact, that the 1992 Academy Awards actually had them “competing” against each other in the category actress in a leading role.

But the list of powerhouse performers goes on. One of the pivotal parts in 𝗧&𝗟 is that of JD, the drifter who romance-scams Thelma out of their entire runaway fund. After William Baldwin, George Clooney, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. all came and went, it was Davis who suggested an at the time still relatively unknown but already improbably handsome kid called Brad Pitt for the part. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.

And let’s not forget Michael Madsen as Jimmy, Louise’s estranged boyfriend. Madsen’s screen time in 𝗧&𝗟 is short, but made a lasting impression on 14-year-old me. It might actually have been the first thing I ever saw him in, definitely before I discovered 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗿 𝗗𝗼𝗴𝘀 (𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟮), for example. Madsen’s performance in 𝗧&𝗟 is simultaneously subtle, explosive and sensitive, and I truly believe he is one of the best at his craft.

Harvey Keitel plays the investigator on the girls’ tails and again – his character Hal Slocumb is just so incredibly well written. Not merely a dogged detective, but an emphatic, thoughtful human being, too.

Stephen Tobolowsky and Christopher McDonald – two actors who have made an impressive career out of playing strong supporting parts – show up as lead FBI agent Max and Thelma’s husband Darryl, respectively. They make the film even better than it already was.

Scott’s films – even the lesser ones – are always a feast for the eyes. Every time I rewatch 𝗧&𝗟, I’m giddily anticipating all those scenes that are so special to me. I could easily write an entire essay on the many unforgettable shots and sequences in 𝗧&𝗟, but for the sake of brevity I will limit myself to just three.

There’s one particular shot in 𝗧&𝗟 that I have always been, in equal measures, puzzled and fascinated by. At some point during the third act, the girls are pulling out of a rest stop and almost collide with a passing black motorcycle that speeds by. The event is never acknowledged by anyone – the scene literally flashes by in a couple of seconds – and the black bike never shows up in the film again. My personal interpretation is that the sequence is more symbolic, and that the mysterious biker signifies impending doom and / or certain death.

I love the interrogation scene in which Keitel’s detective Slocumb and Tobolowsky’s agent Max lean on Pitt’s JD. The cops have by now figured out that this Stetson-wearing punk ran off with Louise’s savings, which directly caused the girls to spiral further out of control. A seething Slocumb calmly asks Max if he would mind stepping out for a second, to which the agent gladly agrees. Now alone with JD, Slocumb makes one last effort to talk some sense into the cocky drifter. When JD remains defiant, Slocumb loses his cool and starts beating the shit out of him with his own Stetson. Intensely gratifying. What makes this scene even more impressive though, is that Keitel actually improvised the hat-slapping, genuinely catching Pitt off guard.

And finally, 𝗧&𝗟 features one of the best “booms” I’ve ever seen on screen. Throughout the film, Thelma and Louise are repeatedly harassed by a sleazy tanker-truck driver. Fed up with his disgusting shenanigans, the ladies lure the trucker to an empty lot and get him to exit his vehicle. The rambunctious redheads then demand the chauvinist chauffeur apologize for his vile behavior, which he of course refuses. Out come the guns, and after Louise expertly shoots out the tires on the eighteen-wheeler, both of them fire several rounds at the tank trailer, which immediately goes up in a glorious column of billowing flames and smoke. Another fist-pump moment.

In the end, neither Sarandon nor Davis won the Academy Award for 𝗧&𝗟. The top prize went to the other great performance by a leading actress that year – Jodie Foster in 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗺𝗯𝘀 (𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟭). Ironically, Foster was one of the first actors who expressed interest for 𝗧&𝗟…

Jonathan Demme’s masterpiece took home all five major awards – film, director, actor, actress and adapted screenplay – but because 𝗧&𝗟 was nominated for its original screenplay, it obviously wasn’t competing against 𝗧𝗦𝗼𝘁𝗟 in that category. Callie Khouri deservedly won the statue for her incredible script, and expressed her gratitude to Ridley Scott in the most wonderful way:

Many words have been written about the catalyst for Thelma and Louise’s actions. The horrific assault on Thelma and her and Louise’s reaction to it, made lots of people (mostly men) very uncomfortable at the time – and probably still does. 𝗧&𝗟 has been labeled misandristic, misogynistic and the filmmakers have even been accused of defaming feminism.

I am baffled by that.

To me, 𝗧&𝗟 is about empowerment, in every sense of the word. It is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful stories about friendship and freedom ever told.

Seek it out & get your fix.

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Twitter (X): Robin Logjes | The Screen Addict