A recommend for a lazy Sunday afternoon
After finding it while browsing Pacino's imdb and covering the bases I missed in the early part of his portfolio like Panic in Needle Park and Cruising, I accidentally clicked on Scarecrow which I've never heard of before. I've never heard it talked about, it's never brought up on the podcasts I listen to. Everybody knows Serpico and Dog Day. Even Panic and Cruising have garnered mentions over the years which led me to them but never Scarecrow.
Surprising because it also stars Gene Hackman who delivers a performance reminding you why he's one of the greats.
It's Hackmans film mainly. He commands the screen and it could be one of his best and funniest roles in my opinion playing the grouchy drifter who likes to fight. Pacino's role expects less of him, he plays a naive young drifter who likes to make people laugh and helps Hackman grow as a person. Although playing naive his performance is a little naive, he doesn't seem as honed in playing the clown, goofing around, I've never seen Pacino like this before and playing the comedy sidekick role in a drama we don't see any of the Pacinoisms he picks up later down the road. Some of his bits feel a bit forced, like he has to act whacky but not really sure what to do. Maybe it was the wrong role for him but he does get something to chew on by the end. Even then a young higher pitched voiced Pacino is a win in anybodies book.
The story is about Trust and Loss. Hackman trusts no-one, Pacino wants to trust everyone with a childlike naivety. Pacinos girlfriend trusted him to be there when she needed him most. Pacino later trusts her to tell the truth and in consequence suffers loss which breaks him along with another event based on trust being broken.
Finally Hackman loses the only person in the world he trusts as it ends like most 70's movies do.
Also read the tragic story of Richard Lynch, who made his debut here. He received the burn scars in 1967 after taking LSD in Central Park and setting himself on fire. He then took to acting and carved out a career that may not have been possible without his look.