Buttmunker

I feel that this period, between 1969 and 1975, was the year we got Jack Nicholson before he became a celebrity superstar and was simply a very good actor. His roles were nearly perfect, and he nabbed up quite a few Oscar-nominations (when the Oscars actually still meant something) in this period, winning one, for Best Actor, for One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest from 1975.

Other Oscar-nominated performances include:
01: Easy Rider (Supporting Actor) 1969
02: Five Easy Pieces (Actor) 1970
03: The Last Detail (Actor) 1973
04: Chinatown (Actor) 1974

Which was your favorite Jack performance during this period in his career?

Hokeyboy

See when you do threads like this, it terrifies me even more, because it means there's a shred of sanity trapped inside you somewhere, from before the Dark Times.

And it's Five Easy Pieces by far.

Buttmunker

I choose Five Easy Pieces because it gave the kind of nusanced performance that would later become kind of a trade-mark - slow rising anger, to outright bursts. But it also showed a conflicted character, and towards the end, a tormented one.

This picture has everything everyone loves about a Jack Nicholson performance, without it getting too hammy.

Buttmunker

you get the ying and the yang with me, my dear Hokeyboy.

Lemmy

I chose OFOTCN.

MrSmearkase

I'm going to go with The Last Detail, but there are a lot of great choices up there

islandclaws

Only seen about half, but I went with Chinatown. I'd put Five Easy Pieces as a close second, followed by OFOTCN.

Hokeyboy

You keep that yang outta my Ovaltine, or it's lampshade time!

Ash Ketchum

Toss-up between FIVE EASY PIECES ("Hold the chicken between your legs") and THE LAST DETAIL ("I AM the shore patrol, motherfucker"), but I had to go with the latter.

asianxcore

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Supermallet

The Passenger, which I also think is the best movie on that list.

Decker

I'm a huge fan of Chinatown, probably the best detective film post-fifties.

I haven't seen or even heard of The Passenger, but I'll check it out, Suprmallet.

SkinJob

Five Easy Pieces, then Cuckoo's Nest, then About Schmidt.

Buttmunker

Never seen that film, but if you liked it...guess I'll never see it.

Supermallet

Actually, somehow I missed that Chinatown was on the list. I still stand by my choice of best Nicholson performance for The Passenger, but Chinatown is definitely the best film.

And Buttmunker, I'm taking that as a compliment.

Buttmunker

I must admit I'm curious now about The Passenger. What kind of character was Nicholson? Manic, normal, nervous, meek, or what? And was he "the passenger," or perhaps he was the pilot (was it an airplane?)...........shit, guess I'll visit IMDB and check out this film.

GreenVulture

I don't see Tommy on that list!

Hokeyboy

I can only imagine the look on your face the first time you watch Friedkin's "Sorcerer".