Scarecrow (1973)

67% of critics liked it
(12 reviews)
78% of users liked it
(5,953 ratings)

An ex-con learns the value of friendship in Jerry Schatzberg's picaresque road movie. Trying to hitch a ride on a desolate California road, fresh-out-of-prison Max (Gene Hackman) meets ex-sailor Lion (Al Pacino). They are both headed east, as Max dreams of opening a deluxe car wash in Pittsburgh and… More An ex-con learns the value of friendship in Jerry Schatzberg's picaresque road movie. Trying to hitch a ride on a desolate California road, fresh-out-of-prison Max (Gene Hackman) meets ex-sailor Lion (Al Pacino). They are both headed east, as Max dreams of opening a deluxe car wash in Pittsburgh and Lion believes that the wife and child he left behind will still welcome him home. The two decide to journey together, forging an increasingly deep yet uncertain friendship, as Lion teaches Max how not to be so pugnacious and Max senses Lion's fragility. When the pair hits Detroit, Lion finally gets in touch with his wife and discovers how she really feels. When Lion is shattered by the revelation, Max must decide if he should forge on alone or sacrifice his carefully guarded savings to help his friend. One of a cycle of late 1960s-early 1970s buddy movies that included Midnight Cowboy (1969) and California Split (1974), Scarecrow suggests how alienated men had become from such traditional institutions as marriage and family. Max's and Lion's salvation comes from being on the road with each other, rather than settling down with jobs and families. Pacino's first film after his triumph in The Godfather (1972), and Hackman's follow-up to The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and his Oscar for The French Connection (1971), Scarecrow won the 1973 Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, but the two stars were not enough to make it a hit. Even so, their nuanced performances enhance this moody study of contemporary dislocation. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 52 min.
Directed By: Jerry Schatzberg
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1973 Wide
On DVD: Jul 12, 2005

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
Periodically interesting but ultimately unsatisfying.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
I assume that Schatzberg and White wanted somehow to ennoble Max and Lionel, but they sentimentalize them.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
There are fine moments, as there would have to be with Hackman and Pacino.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Embora siga claramente o padrão estabelecido por obras como Easy Rider e Perdidos na Noite, isto não impede o filme de se estabelecer como um tocante estudo de personagens - especialmente graças à dinâmica brilhante entre Hackman e Pacino.
Jim Schembri, Sydney Morning Herald
The film is a moving tale of unlikely friendship and includes one of the most emotionally pungent phone calls in modern cinema.
, Time Out
Schatzberg throws away the more interesting implications in order to make emotional hay.
Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily
A compassionate buddy film about two lost, forgotten souls who still dream of a better life. A great, unsung film that all Hackman and Pacino fans must seek out.
Brent Simon, Now Playing Magazine
Suffused with sentimentality, humor and melancholy, it's also one of the most gorgeous movies of the decade this side of Terrence Malick...
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A lively picaresque tale of two down-and-out buddies struggling to survive.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
It never really finds its groove.
, Film4
Memorable performances by Hackman and Pacino overcome a sometimes shaky script to create a touching story of a convincingly messy friendship.

Read all 11 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Lucas M

Scarecrow, is a great road movie, it's very sentimental, but this don't changes the wonderful screenplay, written by Michael White, and the direction of Schatzberg. Hackman and Pacino, show a impressive dynamics due that surely go move who is watching. A surprising motion… More
Scarecrow, is a great road movie, it's very sentimental, but this don't changes the wonderful screenplay, written by Michael White, and the direction of Schatzberg. Hackman and Pacino, show a impressive dynamics due that surely go move who is watching. A surprising motion picture whose show that, the better way to satisfy you self this made the people happy and not fight with they. Scarecrow just like Easy Rider and Midnight Cowboy, are road/buddy sentimental movies, sometimes very similar, but still a good film. Fresh.
Arash X

"A crow isn't afraid of a scarecrow. It laughs." Liked this just as much as Midnight Cowboy
Tim S

I can't believe more people haven't seen this movie.
Mike T

A quiet, weird, loveable character piece with a great amount of resonance and spirit. The two leads are tremendous, and there is some absolutely beautiful photography. We watch two aimless wanderers refusing to accept the agony of manhood, joining each other on a delusional and… More
A quiet, weird, loveable character piece with a great amount of resonance and spirit. The two leads are tremendous, and there is some absolutely beautiful photography. We watch two aimless wanderers refusing to accept the agony of manhood, joining each other on a delusional and slightly self-indulgent adventure. It's bleak, it's funny, it's sad and it's very original. Underrated gem.
Wu C

Interesting character study/buddy road movie. Kinda reminded me of 'Midnight Cowboy' a little.