Netflix Purge-- "Raising Arizona"

I've long been an admirer of the Coen Brothers. I'm sure that you've heard the reasons for their praise-- idiosyncratic humor, biblical imagery that doesn't impugn or glorify the source material, colorful characters, and a thousand other things. I haven't seen as many of their films as I'd like, and when various of their films appeared on Netflix instant, I jumped at the opportunity. I'm not sure why I chose to watch Raising Arizona first. The main reason is stupid and nostalgic-- I grew up in Arizona. This was the first plus of the films for me-- this movie really feels like Arizona. The beauty of the desert is encapsulated in a way I haven't seen in contemporary films. I felt like I've driven past Hi's trailer umpteen times. People have weird accents that don't feel totally authentic. Arizona has a bit of an identity crisis, and the overall wackiness of characters such as Nathan Arizona and Gale fit right in to the Arizona I knew, once you got out of the suburban sprawl.

Raising Arizona works for two reasons: it's weird, and it's funny. Nicholas Cage soars as Hi, a recidivism--addled man in love with Ed, the cop who takes his mug shots. After he gets out and cleans up his act, they get married and try to have a kid. As they discover, Ed can't conceive, but that's no issue, as Nathan Arizona, the furniture magnate of the state, has just had quintuplets. They won't miss just one, right? In typical Coen fashion, things go to pot after their master plan is executed. Gale and Evelle, two of Hi's prison buddies, tunnel out of jail and take residence with Hi and Ed. Hi's supervisor creates problems when he comes to visit. And one of the horsemen of the apocalypse (albeit on a motorcycle) pursues them with a greasy motivation that would be enough to alarm even the most hardened criminal. The movie is as far out of reality as possible without it being totally distracting. The Coens are masters at walking along this edge, and the absurdity of the film allows for it to be iconic and hilarious.

Raising Arizona works as well as it does because it's rooted deeply in sentimentality and heartbreak. The shortcomings of Hi as a husband and person allow for tethers that let the film explore its sheer absurdity. He's instantly sympathetic whenever his charisma runs out, and his longings for a peaceful life are ever the more poignant when his darker desires come out. The film runs a basic trope: repented man runs into old hoodlum friends and has to make a choice between his old life and his new responsibilities, but Raising Arizona runs it very well through the strength of performance and pathos. John Goodman and William Forsythe excel as the cons, and their scenes bring some of the strongest laughs of the film. A particular car chase, masterfully filmed and edited, had me rolling on the floor.

The strength of the film is its characters. I was amazed at how emotionally invested I was in the film, even with all its quirks and absurdity. Along with wondrous cinematography and iconic dialogue, Raising Arizona cements the Coens as some of the strongest filmmakers of the past 25 years.

Final Grade: A