Five Easy Pieces (1970)

Huddleston calls it one of the era's standout masterpieces, praising its sustained contrasts and Nicholson's restrained central performance as a man hiding emotional emptiness. He notes the film's insightful handling of class, family and masculinity without sentimentality.

Ebert calls the film one of the best American films and a masterpiece of heartbreaking intensity. He praises its vivid portrayal of the central character's road life, textures of middle-American existence, and the unforgettable lead performance by Jack Nicholson.

Thomson celebrates the film as a masterpiece of New Hollywood that captured the era's vitality through BBS Productions. He singles out Nicholson's magnetic, self-destructive performance and the iconic diner scene as embodying the film's libertarian spirit and road-myth themes.

Jack Nicholson is at his peak in this freewheeling revived 1970s gem. The film is a superbly composed tragicomedy that comes as close to perfection as it gets, with gem-like scenes and a moving glimpse of Nicholson's vulnerability.

Gilliatt describes it as a striking, eloquent, and important movie that vividly captures a particular cultivated American man who keeps running. She singles out the blithe nihilism, witty self-scrutiny, and rich periphery of characters as strengths.

The critic lauds Jack Nicholson’s performance as a marvel of physical energy and emotional nuance that captures the rage and sadness of a privileged drifter. Rafelson’s exploratory direction and tonal shifts between comedy and tragedy are singled out as helping the film express 1970s ennui in a way that still resonates.

The critic calls it a 1970s classic and a key turn-of-the-decade film. Nicholson’s anarchic performance as the disaffected protagonist is singled out for praise amid observations of roadside America.

It is presented as the film that made Jack Nicholson a star and one of the key American films of its era. Tremendous performances and Rafelson’s atmospheric direction are highlighted for illuminating class divisions.

Turner highlights why the film made Nicholson a star, praising his magnetic portrayal of an emotionally repressed man torn between worlds and Rafelson's superb direction that elevates the material to Bergman-like levels of wit and insight. He notes the memorable diner scene.

The re-released Seventies classic in which Jack Nicholson came of age as an actor remains utterly compelling today, though some elements now look infantile or borderline abusive.

The review calls it an absorbing, if nerve-wracking, film with solid American roots reminiscent of French films of the 1940s and 1950s. It praises Nicholson's remarkably varied and daring exploration of a complex character.

Canby finds the film an open-ended story that is satiric and elegiac, with high-order movie-making in non-essentials like photography and acting bits. He notes it takes small risks and provides small rewards, living in bits and pieces rather than sustained characterization.

The critic calls Five Easy Pieces one of the greatest American films of the 1970s or all cinema and a timeless character study. They single out Jack Nicholson's career-best performance as the alienated Bobby Dupea and the film's authentic portrayal of his inner turmoil and relationships.

The piece marks the film's 50th anniversary as the moment Jack Nicholson became a star and a defining New Hollywood anti-hero. It highlights the iconic diner scene and the bleak portrait of a generation's disillusionment as key elements.