Chattahoochee

An exceptional piece of acting, on the part of Gary Oldman (gee; what else is new?) and Dennis Hopper, who ALWAYS comes through with fine performances.

However, Gary Oldman simply transcends acting like no other actor in the world. He is magnificent in this role of a desperate, but good and sincere man.

The movie might not be for the squeamish - but it IS for people who enjoy stories of true heroism - portrayed by a genius like Mr. Oldman.

I would LOVE it if critics would re-discover this motion picture for its greatness in plot, and its acting.

Overlooking Gary Oldman's performance in this film is the biggest crime since "Oliver" won the Best Picture Oscar over "2001".....

Will they never learn?

This under-rated movie is an excellent portrayal of the heroic. True love and friendship fight despair and tragedy. The military betrayed its men, the doctors betrayed its sick, and a marriage betrayed its partners. One man is compelled to try and do something about it. The acting is superb, drawing one into the film and leaving one to reflect on one's own life and the society we live in.

I have not yet begun to understand how this movie was so ignored. Besides having a beautiful "conquering evils" story, we have here, a masterpiece of acting. Dennis Hopper does NOT give - as Leonard Maltin says - a "glorified cameo" - but brings a superb supporting performance to the film. But it is Gary Oldman who soars above the realm of "acting", who is STARTLING in his performance. This genius of an actor should've received awards, accolades, and acclaim for one of the most incredible performances I've ever seen on screen.

If you are a true movie-lover, please take the time to view this brilliantly acted story. Perhaps we can all then get together to get Mr. Oldman his due for a KILLER performance. He certainly deserves it.

Chattahoochee is a fine film that explores heroism as well as the trials of personal relationships in times of hardship. The acting is superb, especially Oldman's performance of Emmet Folley as the unstable Korean war Veteran who ends up in an abusive and unsanitary mental hospital. Dennis Hopper also does a fine job and special recognition to Frances McDormand who plays Emmet's wife. She isn't the most likeable character but she proves herself again to be a fine character actor. I appreciated the movies realism and there was no doubt about the horror and darkness associated with the institution which Oldman's character was fighting against. Watching the entire movie is worth it just to see the scene where Emmet barricades himself behind the bunk beds and begins rallying against the guards. I wasn't completely satisfied with the sound track but the music was used in the all the right places. A great film both for it's historical significance and for it's study of relationships--and also of course for it's well built up exciting moments.

It's 1955. Korean War veteran Gary Oldman has a violent breakdown and is incarcerated in a mental health prison.

It's a compelling movie, and it's powered by some fine performances, including Oldman, Pamela Reed as his sister, Frances MacDormand is his wife, Dennis Hopper as a fellow patient, and Ned Beatty as the head of the institution. For those of you used to seeing Beatty in comic or bizarre roles, this movie may be a revelation. He's smart, smug, and utterly despicable.

Were those the totality of the movie, it would be a fine one. However, the film makers have made an error common to this sort of crusading movie. They have stretched it out too long, letting the dull oppression of Oldman's long captivity seep into the audience, relieved only occasionally by something actually happening, like Miss Reed storming into the place. The intent of this pace is doubtless to let the audience understand the situation from the inmates' perspective. I found that it just makes the movie long and dull, and the ending abrupt. It's a common mistake, confusing sheer size for importance, and sloth for thoughtfulness. The result is a movie worth watching, but badly in need of a lot of trimming.