Intent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it's turned into one huge lake, outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock takes his friends on a river-rafting trip they'll never forget into the dangerous American back-country.
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Very best movie i ever watch
If you don't like this, we can't be friends.
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
It felt weird finally watching this film I'd heard so much about it over the years and seen so many references to it that it felt like I'd already seen it. The pacing and built up anticipation of this film is awesome, I'd almost put it right up there with the shining. You constantly get the feeling that something terrible is going to happen. At the time it was released it must have shocked audiences as its pretty extreme for back then but nothing as graphic as we have now. I kind of like that about it though because it sticks to the classic form of horrors while mixing it with a newer more extreme style. Its also it's realistic quality that makes it particularly scary, it feels as if it could happen to anyone. It was strange to see Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds so young they're both almost unrecognisable from how they look now. I really liked the way the camera stopped and focused on people's faces and expressions throughout the film making them even more creepy. The people in the town at the end were just as strange as those by the river. With the title being 'deliverance' it was clever the way they got out of the river by the church. The only thing I didn't like about this film was the ending. It kept you feeling like something more was going to happen but it just cut out with him waking up from a bad dream. All in all it's a thrilling watch but may be a bit slow for people use to watching more modern horrors/thrillers.
I first saw Deliverance when it was in the theaters what seems like a million years ago. Burt Reynolds became a big start and Jon Voight received another big boost in his career thanks to the film. The only real problem I had with the movie was when I stopped and thought about the general plot line afterwards. It isn't exactly airtight.The boys killed a mountain man, justifiably. One of two mountain men roaming the woods together. The other ran off. They decided to bury the corpse and forever after remain mum about it. Then Drew, played by Ronny Cox, was killed though no one knows whether the death came at the hand of the river, or a gunshot presumably by the second mountain man. Injuries were inconclusive on the dead body. The fear was that it was a gunshot by the second mountain man stationed high on the cliffs overhead. Voight ends up climbing the cliff, finding the mountain man and killing him. As far as anyone knows, the second mountain man, now dead and hidden at the bottom of the river, never disclosed the fate of the first mountain man. Yet the boys felt compelled to make-up a story even though there was no evidence connecting them to anything. But probably more odd was the local sheriff suspected the boys of wrongdoing without any evidence suggesting they even saw the mountain men. It would seem more plausible that the sheriff would have taken a report on the death of Drew and then asked the three remaining boys if during their travels they had happened to see the two mountain men. "No, can't say that we did," would have been a reply and that would have been that. I guess that would make for a short, boring movie.
I just spent a half hour writing about one of the BEST movies ever - I first saw it as a sophomore in high school, and watched it again on t.v. last night.Did they let 16 year old girls into R rated movies back in the early 1970's? Doubtful! My date must have been 18.As my first review, and as I'm not a bit good with computers, all that I typed earlier just went missing. However, I'll add this much and trust that viewers will take a chance with this exceptional movie. It's NOT to be missed! Very intense, very intriguing, and so much better than anything Hollywood churns out today. I can't even imagine that this movie would get an R rating in this day and age. Most likely XXXX or not made at all. What a pity.P.S. The previous review was spot on! I should have left well enough alone, but felt compelled to add a female perspective. (Not saying the previous wasn't a female . . . hope you know what I mean!)
Released in 1972 and directed by John Boorman from James Dickey's novel, "Deliverance" is an adventure thriller about four guys from the Atlanta area who take a canoe/camping trip in the Georgia wilderness. When they run into a couple of violent hillbillies their fun adventure turns into a disturbing test of survival.I didn't see "Deliverance" until almost two decades after its release. I didn't know anything about the film or anyone who had seen it, but it looked like a potentially good adventure story so I finally decided to rent it.The first Act plays out as you would expect, four guys escaping the shackles of urban life enjoying a canoe trip, and then -- WHAM -- Act 2 hits you like a ton of bricks. When I first viewed the movie I wasn't braced for this scene. In fact, it was so disturbing that it pretty much ruined the rest of the picture for me. I watched it until the end but - that scene - left me dazed and detached. Viewing it again recently I was fully braced and was therefore able to appreciate the film.MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS: Burt Reynolds is great as the macho protagonist Lewis, but he's largely missing during the third act and epilogue. The unassuming Ed (Jon Voight) takes the reigns as deliverer, with Bobby (Ned Beatty) lending a helping hand.The film was shot on the Chattooga River in NE Georgia, which borders South Carolina. The gorge is located in Tallulah Gorge State Park 15 miles West of Walhalla, SC (you can actually see it via satellite on Google maps). The dilapidated town in the epilogue is Sylva, NC, 45 miles north of the gorge. Needless to say, lush Eastern locations.After the disturbing scene a moral crisis takes place in the remote forest where the four members of the party must vote on a decision. Lewis (Reynolds) and Drew (Ronny Cox) make their cases and the other two must choose. Count me with Lewis. At first glance it would seem that Drew is arguing the side of the wimpy moralist, i.e. contact local law enforcement and allow the courts to settle the matter. Is this the real reason he takes this position or is it simply because he doesn't want to risk becoming an "accessory to a crime"? Actually, Lewis is no less the moralist -- after all, he makes a moral judgment and unhesitatingly acts -- it's just that he refuses to risk allowing the local authorities and a potential inbred jury (likely related somehow to the hillbillies) twist his just and necessary actions into a crime.Writer James Dickey effectively plays the towering Southern Sheriff in the epilogue.The Deluxe Edition DVD includes an excellent 4-part documentary that runs about 45 minutes. All principle cast members are interviewed, as well as director Boorman and the son of James Dickey. By all accounts Dickey had a forceful personality and intimidating presence. He kept calling the actors by the names of the people they were playing even while not filming. One night in a pub he kept referring to Reynolds as "Lewis" from across the room and Burt refused to answer him. Dickey came up to his table and got in his face. Angered, Burt cussed at him and told him to quit calling him Lewis. Dickey paused for a moment and responded, "That's exactly what Lewis would have said" and walked away."Wrong Turn" (2003) is a modern horror film that, generally speaking, tackles the same subject as "Deliverance." The problem with "Wrong Turn" is that it's full of horror clichés and cops an unrealistic vibe. Don't get me wrong, it's an entertaining film for what it is but I was never able to buy into the story as a potential reality; hence, I didn't find it horrifying at all. "Deliverance," on the other hand, is totally realistic from beginning to end and is successfully horrifying precisely because it COULD happen.Speaking of realism, Roger Ebert heavily criticized the scene in "Deliverance" where Ed (Voight) climbs up the rock gorge, arguing that it was totally unrealistic. Is he serious? He needs to get out more. I'm older than Ed in the film and could climb those rocks fairly easily (I'm not bragging, just pointing out that Ebert's criticism is not valid for anyone who's in remotely decent shape).Also speaking of realism, if you suffer from ADHD and need constant (unrealistic) action scenes and goofy one-liners to maintain your attention, skip this one.Lastly, "Deliverance" is about 45 years old and hasn't dated at all. This is a timeless picture.The movie runs 110 minutes.GRADE: A-