I stumbled upon this Ethan/Joel Coen movie on my harddrive and being a fan I decided to watch it. Raising Arizona is an enjoyable mix of comedy and action. As often with Coen movies the story is far from believable, but this is not the point of the movie. It's a crazy tale from start to finish with interesting twists and turns. I found the film both funny and entertaining although there are a few story pieces I thought the movie could do without. It's strongest points are the dialog (including the most brilliant American dialect) and the chases. Especially the escape from the gas station is hilarious and a joy to watch.
As always the Coen brothers pay close attention to detail and this is one of their trademarks. The directing is in true Coen style and fans will notice this from the beginning. My most negative comment has to be about the biker hunter from hell. I didn't really understand why he was included in the film. It felt like the movie tried to be supernatural although there was no other links to this theme and the movie could easily been the same without this angle. My other negative comment is about some of the characters. Especially H.I. McDunnough's two prison friends are more annoying than funny. That said, Nicolas Cage does a great job in the role as H.I. and Holly Hunter playing Ed is great as well. All in all an enjoyable funny movie with humor and heart. 7/10