Raising Arizona (1987)

Introduction

Raising Arizona, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, is a madcap, irreverent, and deeply original crime-comedy that helped define the Coen Brothers’ reputation for blending quirky humour, visual inventiveness, and offbeat Americana. Released in 1987, it was the Coens' second film after the critically acclaimed neo-noir Blood Simple, and it showed the world that they could pivot dramatically from dark thrillers to zany, high-energy farce without losing their unique artistic voice.

Starring Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter in career-defining performances, Raising Arizona combines slapstick comedy, surreal action, heartfelt sentimentality, and an almost mythic sense of the American Southwest into a film that feels both utterly unique and oddly timeless.

Plot Overview

The story centres on H.I. "Hi" McDunnough (Nicolas Cage), a charming but hapless repeat offender specializing in convenience store robberies, and Edwina "Ed" (Holly Hunter), a no-nonsense police officer he meets during one of his many booking photos. Against all odds, Hi and Ed fall in love, get married, and try to start a life together.

However, they are devastated to learn that Ed is infertile and that adoption agencies are unwilling to place a child with a couple that includes a habitual criminal. Their solution? They decide to kidnap one of the "Arizona Quints" — the five babies born to wealthy unpainted-furniture magnate Nathan Arizona (Trey Wilson).

What follows is a manic series of misadventures involving escaped convicts, bounty hunters, SWAT teams, and a host of eccentric secondary characters. As their world spirals out of control, Hi and Ed must confront not only the law but also their own moral dilemmas and deep-seated insecurities.

Direction and Style

The Coen Brothers’ Early Signature

Even early in their careers, the Coens had an unmistakable style: a blending of high-energy set pieces, ironic dialogue, stylized cinematography, and darkly comic absurdity. Raising Arizona is a near-perfect crystallization of these elements, albeit delivered with a light, almost cartoonish touch compared to their later works.

The Coens’ script is rich with colourful dialogue — a blend of deadpan delivery, Southern colloquialisms, and exaggerated formality that borders on poetry. Scenes unfold with a gleeful disregard for realism, plunging into slapstick chases, surreal dream sequences, and wildly exaggerated characterizations.

The result is a tone that's both hilarious and strangely poignant, rooted in a deep affection for its flawed, foolish, but ultimately human characters.

Cinematography by Barry Sonnenfeld

Before becoming a director himself (Men in Black, Get Shorty), Barry Sonnenfeld was the Coens’ cinematographer, and his work here is brilliant. The camera movement in Raising Arizona is kinetic and playful, featuring wide-angle lenses, low tracking shots, and sweeping, exaggerated pans that emphasize the story’s cartoonish sensibility.

A legendary sequence involves Hi robbing a convenience store while Ed waits frantically outside, leading to a foot chase through suburban homes and a grocery store — all captured with dizzying, bravura camera work that heightens both the comedy and the chaos.

The visuals turn mundane suburban settings into mythic landscapes of absurdity.

Performances

Nicolas Cage as H.I. McDunnough

Nicolas Cage gives one of his most beloved performances as Hi, a figure of scraggly hair, hangdog expression, and twitchy, impulsive energy. Cage brings an earnestness to Hi’s criminality: he isn’t malicious, just hopelessly incapable of living within societal norms.

Cage’s ability to straddle pathos and ridiculousness is perfect for the role. His Hi is both laughable and deeply sympathetic, a man who desperately wants to do right but whose instincts continually lead him astray.

Cage reportedly clashed a bit with the Coens, who favoured a precise, scripted delivery, but the resulting performance finds a beautiful tension between freewheeling energy and formal, deadpan phrasing.

Holly Hunter as Edwina "Ed" McDunnough

Holly Hunter is sensational as Ed, matching Cage’s manic energy with a fierce, tightly-wound intensity. Her Ed is pragmatic, moralistic, and driven to create a "normal" family life, even if it means committing a felony to get there.

Hunter delivers her lines with staccato precision, imbuing even the most absurd declarations with an emotional sincerity that grounds the film’s more ridiculous turns. Her portrayal makes Ed’s maternal desperation both heart breaking and hilarious.

Supporting Cast

The supporting players are a rogue’s gallery of eccentric oddballs:

John Goodman and William Forsythe are hilarious as Gale and Evelle Snoats, Hi’s old prison buddies who crash into the McDunnoughs’ life like two wrecking balls of incompetence.

Trey Wilson delivers a wonderful comic performance as Nathan Arizona Sr., whose blustery capitalist rhetoric ("If you can find lower prices anywhere, my name ain’t Nathan Arizona!") masks an unexpectedly tender heart.

Randall "Tex" Cobb is unforgettable as Leonard Smalls, a nightmarish bounty hunter straight out of Hi’s fevered dreams, representing an almost supernatural force of chaos.

Each character is distinct, bizarre, and vividly realized, contributing to the film’s rich, absurd tapestry.

Themes and Narrative Depth

Parenthood and Responsibility

At its heart, Raising Arizona is about the yearning for family and the daunting weight of responsibility that comes with it. Hi and Ed’s crime isn’t born out of greed or malice but from a profound, misguided longing to love and be loved.

The film gently satirizes the American ideal of the nuclear family, showing how societal expectations can drive desperate people to absurd extremes.

Dreams vs. Reality

Hi’s frequent dream sequences — laden with prophetic imagery like Leonard Smalls — highlight the tension between fantasy and reality. The characters dream of simple domestic bliss, but the chaos of their own choices and the unpredictability of life continually derail them.

Redemption and Growth

Despite all their missteps, Hi and Ed are ultimately sympathetic because they are capable of self-awareness and change. The film’s bittersweet ending — in which Hi dreams of a peaceful future that may or may not come true — leaves open the possibility of redemption through humility, love, and hope.

Music and Sound

The film’s score, composed by Carter Burwell, is a perfect match for its off-kilter tone. The use of traditional folk instruments, yodelling, and the iconic banjo riff creates a soundtrack that feels both epic and homespun.

The musical motif — a playful, almost mythic reinterpretation of "Down in the Willow Garden" — lends the film a strange, dreamlike Americana flavour that enhances its fairy-tale sensibility.

Reception and Legacy

Upon its release, Raising Arizona received a mixed-to-positive reception, with some critics unsure how to interpret its manic tone and rapid-fire absurdity. However, over time, it has grown in stature and is now considered a classic of American comedy.

It helped solidify the Coen Brothers’ reputation as daring, idiosyncratic filmmakers and influenced countless directors and screenwriters who admired its blend of slapstick energy, visual inventiveness, and emotional depth.

Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter both cited Raising Arizona as one of their favourite projects, and many of the film’s lines ("Son, you got a panty on your head.") have become iconic.

Today, Raising Arizona stands as a landmark of 1980s independent cinema — wildly funny, unexpectedly tender, and utterly original.

Conclusion

Raising Arizona is a whirlwind of absurdity, heart, and visual bravado — a film that combines the slapstick of Looney Tunes with the emotional sincerity of a Steinbeck novel. Joel and Ethan Coen crafted not just a comedy, but a modern American fable about the impossible dream of family, redemption, and finding your place in a chaotic world.

With unforgettable performances, dazzling camera work, and an irrepressible spirit, Raising Arizona remains one of the Coen Brothers’ finest and most beloved achievements — a zany, heartfelt classic that only grows richer with each viewing.