Scarecrow
Two rootless men forge a volatile, tender friendship while hitching through America toward uncertain versions of home.
Overview
An ex-con and a sailor embark on a transformative journey across America, discovering friendship and purpose along the way.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- melancholic
- tender
- rough-edged
- reflective evening
- classic cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a freewheeling, character-driven drama elevated by the richly realized friendship and exceptional performances of Gene Hackman and Al Pacino.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Max and Lion travel together as outsiders, gradually forming an unlikely friendship through shared hardship.
The protagonists move through midwestern and northeastern communities while pursuing separate personal goals and precarious futures.
Hackman and Pacino build Max and Lion through physical behavior, awkward silences, volatility, and guarded vulnerability.
The film uses roads, towns, workplaces, and transient spaces to make the characters' wandering feel materially grounded.
Films like Scarecrow, and why
Midnight Cowboy
shared itinerant drifter protagonists, male friendship, melancholic road journey, and naturalistic 1970s drama
Of Mice and Men
shared outsider friendship, working-class struggle, and emotionally vulnerable drifters in a grounded American drama
The Last Detail
shared road movie structure, unlikely male companionship, and bittersweet encounters with marginal characters
Five Easy Pieces
shared American New Wave naturalism, wandering outsiders, and intimate character study
Movie Details
- Director
- Jerry Schatzberg
- Release Date
- 1973-04-11
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (361)
Cast
- Gene Hackman
- Al Pacino
- Dorothy Tristan
- Ann Wedgeworth
- Richard Lynch
- Eileen Brennan
- Al Cingolani
- Rutanya Alda
- Karen Lamm
- Penelope Allen
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Scarecrow about?
- Two rootless men forge a volatile, tender friendship while hitching through America toward uncertain versions of home.
- What is Scarecrow like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Scarecrow as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Scarecrow violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Scarecrow as moderate.
- What did critics think of Scarecrow?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a freewheeling, character-driven drama elevated by the richly realized friendship and exceptional performances of Gene Hackman and Al Pacino.
- Which films are like Scarecrow?
- Films with a similar feel include Midnight Cowboy, Of Mice and Men, The Last Detail, and Five Easy Pieces.
- How long is Scarecrow?
- Scarecrow runs 112 minutes.
- Where can I watch Scarecrow?
- In United States, Scarecrow is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
