The Jack Nicholson Dark Comedy Being Completely Thrown Away
With more than 80 film credits to his name, Jack Nicholson has served as one of cinema’s most talented and influential figures. The Academy Award-winning actor also has three directorial credits to his extensive Hollywood resume, the first being the 1971 independent film Drive, He Said. Later that decade, Nicholson was put at the helm of the 1978 movie Goin’ South, a dark comedy that has gone undeservedly unnoticed by audiences.
A Classic Outlaw Story
Goin South’ is the story of a life-long outlaw who narrowly escapes from the hangman’s noose after he is captured by the Sheriff in Longhorn, Texas. After his conviction for bank robbery and cattle theft, Henry Lloyd Moon’s (Jack Nicholson) fate seems certain. But he’s able to avoid certain death due to a weird loophole in the town’s code of ordinances.
A Loophole In The Law
The law states that any man condemned to die can get a reprieve so long as a woman will marry him and hold him accountable. Goin’ South shows its dark humor early on as an elderly woman steps forward and offers her hand, but then immediately drops dead. The noose around his neck, Moon is moments away from execution before the prim and proper Julia Tate (Mary Steenburgen) declares her intent to marry the criminal.
A Raw Deal
But Julia’s intention isn’t to have wedded bliss. The Goin’ South protagonist has an ulterior motive and intends to use her new husband as a free source of labor in a hidden gold mine that she possesses under her farmland. Wedded but still wanting to maintain her virginity, Julia creates additional friction with Henry as he is hell bent on at least being able to be intimate with the woman who is basically keeping him in servitude.
Complicating matters in Goin’ South is the local deputy Towfield (Christopher Lloyd) who is in love with Julia. The film gets even crazier when Henry’s former gang members show up and discover that Julia and Henry are mining for gold.
A Black Comedy With Strong Pacing
Goin South‘ assembled some of the greatest comedic stars of the era and put them under Jack Nicholson’s direction in a black comedy that succeeds in holding the audience’s interest. The comedic timing of John Belushi and Christopher Lloyd are impeccable, and the addition of Anne Ramsey (Throw Mama From the Train) and Lin Shaye (There’s Something About Mary) carried the film’s laughs with even the smallest roles on screen.
Goin’ South also gives audiences solid performances from Danny DeVito, Ed. Begley Jr., and Britt Leach.
Goin’ South On Amazon Prime Video
GFR SCORE
Goin’ South wasn’t well-received upon its initial theatrical release, but modern critics have come to largely praise the film for the gritty cinematography and inventive characters. The love story between Henry Moon and Julia that is thrust on audiences seems forced, never really generating the on-screen chemistry that was needed for its believability. Nonetheless, the comedic writing is enough to take the movie from being a failed 70s rom-com and elevate it to a decent dark comedy that’s definitely worth your time.
You can catch Goin’ South on-demand through Amazon Prime Video.
