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Yar, you be here: Deliverance > Customer Reviews Deliverance Customer Reviews (7 - 9 of 35 Reviews)Very disturbing...
Well, I had mixed reactions after seeing this movie. And after lots of thought, I've decided to give it the 5 star rating it probably deserves. This movie was made 34 years ago, and for one, the way it's made is brilliant. For the time, the cinematographers were way ahead of their time. Anyway, don't think that this is an action movie like Blockbuster says it is and like I misbelieved it was. No, it is 100% a drama movie. A good one? Yes. This movie is fascinating and very disturbing and thought provoking. The plot of the movie is that of 4 businessmen going on a fishing trip in a different kind of place than they're used to being in. The movie starts off with the famous and my personal favortie banjo scene. This scene is beautiful and touching. Every time I see that little boy, a tear comes to my eye. The movie starts off happy with some good humor and with all of these men excited for their trip. If only they knew. From then on, everything goes downhill for them, and they find themselves in a very bad position. I don't want to give anything away as this would be a good movie to watch without knowing what is going to happen. The movie isn't like I thought it would be but still works..and is very realistic. This movie could have been made into a different movie than it was and I think that they should have added a twist to the end. But this movie isn't about action..it's about four civilized people clashing with people not as fortunate as them..so there's a chain rection..and not for the best.. This is an excellent movie that will always be on my thoughts. And for an avid collector like me, a worthy addition to my collection. Lastly, the acting is great notably by the "he man", Burt Reynolds who doesn't seem to fit in with his friends. So, strap yourself in and prepare to watch a haunting and fascinating movie, that is probably the most provocative and best of the 70s. Deliverance
An action film with potent doses of suspense and terror, it's also a psychological drama which explores dualities in our natures: who we are in our normal lives versus who or what we become when faced with elemental danger. Not for kids or the squeamish, though the movie's brutality never feels gratuitous. Excellent performances all around, with Reynolds a stand-out. Surprisingly, it doesn't quite "deliver" after thirty-plus years
When I first saw Deliverence upon its initial theater release, it was one of the most powerful and long-lingering film experiences I had ever taken in. The theme of civilized men coming in direct contact with their baser instincts had never before been as potently depicted in something other than a war film, at least to my limited knowledge. It was on a par with John Huston's Treasure of the Sierra Madre. However, after viewing the film again recently on this DVD, it didn't quite manage that special level of uniqueness--that which would propel the film to all-time classic status. Is it because we've been enured to such film experiences over time? Perhaps. Is it because much of the tête-à-tête dialogue datedly examines the viability of "The System"? I definitely think so. Or could it possibly be that our sprawling civilization and mass communications overload has taken the mystery and danger out of places such as "The River" and the people who inhabit its hinterlands? My goodness, isn't that what Lewis (Burt Reynolds cum James Dickey) warned against? We now see supposed wilderness outdoor gear sold as urban fashion statements, wilderness adventure trips sold as family summer excursions, the "Crocodile Hunter" as a comedic cable TV character, Appalachia as a source of popular mass entertainment, rock climbing centers in suburban malls, and on and on. Maybe "the dam" and its man-made backwaters have indeed buried what we had once known to be as primal. This is still an outstanding film. Perhaps if one hasn't yet seen it, it will still exude that sense of primeval desperation which civilized man simultaneously fears and yearns for. Technically speaking on this DVD, on a few of the shots at dusk and/or dawn, but especially where Jon Voight's character is roused at the top of the cliff by the presence of the mountain man, there was a very noticeable "solarization" of the natural background. It was so bad it was disconcerting. I don't remember this at all whenever I've seen the film on television and definitely not in the theater. It leads me to believe the digitization process wasn't carried out with the utmost of care. The DVD also has both full-screen and widescreen letterbox versions on a dual-sided disc. This seemed superfluous to me, but I personally know some viewers who still prefer the full-screen pan-and-scan experience.
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