Directed by:
John BoormanScreenplay:
James DickeyCinematography:
Vilmos ZsigmondComposer:
Eric WeissbergCast:
Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox, Ed Ramey, Billy Redden, Charley Boorman, James Dickey, Bill McKinney, Hoyt Pollard, Macon McCalman (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
In the unfamiliar Appalachian backwoods, a weekend of male bonding for four inexperienced campers turns into a gut-wrenching fight for survival against the merciless forces of nature and the brutality of man. Their only escape is a terrifying canoe ride down the raging rapids of the Chattooga River. If their heartless pursuers don't kill them, the treacherous waters just might. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (9)
Don’t expect a thrilling pace or even shocking violence, Deliverance is not as disturbing as they say. However, it can captivate both through its economical direction and the survival adventure, or fight for survival, which is presented in the most credible and rawest way, without excessive detours. I appreciate some of Boorman's tricks. For example, that key rape scene is accurately depicted, when the members of the trip encounter two wanderers, their gestures and movements beautifully indicate what is to come, especially when one of the locals touches the face and chest of one of the protagonists. The director delivers similar tension several times, and it is truly worth it. The acting is relatively even and overall quite impressive. However, essentially, it is a very simple and rather ordinary matter.
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A very powerful and intense film that hardly anyone can make nowadays. Perhaps it was due to the era and the available technology, but Deliverance is simply incredibly intense and an unforgettable experience. And there are only a few plot elements. Even after years, it's clear that good films simply withstand the test of time, and sometimes, time even works in their favor.
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Sleep tight, it's nothing.... The most realistic survival in history, with which Boorman solidified a new narrative and thematic impulse in American cinema. Not as shocking, harsh and atmospheric as the contemporary Texas Massacre (which was also based on an unexpected confrontation between civilised people and a bunch of violent rednecks), but almost equally disturbing thanks to the unrelenting psychological pressure, which in some moments culminates into realms of genuine horror and disgust. A number of oft-quoted and famous passages (the opening banjo duel; the lengthy debate about what to do with the dead hillbilly) fully speak for the ageless quality of the direction, while weaknesses are found in the hammy dialogue and a bit in the narrative's build-up, whose climax comes shortly after the halfway point, and the last twenty minutes go completely beyond the established atmosphere and agonizing mental duress. I will sleep relatively peacefully, but if I were in the shoes of one of the survivors, I would probably think twice about falling asleep without a gun under my pillow... 80%
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Pure Apocalypse or how a borderline situation in the wilderness does not make us noble and heroic beings, but rather frightened and sly creatures without morality. Originally a romantic pose, it degenerates into final images of total destruction - scenes from the vanishing city are a chilling commentary on the moral decline of the heroes. A film that is extremely physical and intellectually urgent in every respect - it breaks the traditional dichotomy of good and evil and makes the struggle for survival an ethical problem. It's great how Boorman uses the "prejudiced" resistance of the viewer to the backward mountaineers and thus actually puts him in the role of an accomplice, and how in the character of Burt Reynolds he challenges the archetype of a self-confident boy hero. It has aged only in a few technical respects, and it is otherwise a brilliant example of filmmaking with content and a harrowing atmosphere (the banjo duel is a typical sequence for textbooks).
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Oh yeah, it’s great to be in redneck territory. They make you feel good and welcome, they show you some picturesque nooks and crannies, play something catchy on the banjo and pour you some moonshine to wet your whistle on. But aren’t they a bit strange? Ooh, don’t come here with your prejudices... But John Boorman seems to have a different opinion. Good for him, because this result of his xenophobic paranoia is the best “river raft ride" movie ever to be seen. Despite all that’s going for this movie, the climax occurs somewhere around the seventh minute. Which doesn’t mean at all that the hell we see in the second half isn’t darn powerful. It is and all the more so because it is so chillingly believable.
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