You view this movie today and what comes to mind? That old expression, "They sure don't make em like they used to." And wow, they don't. This is a classic tale of survival, rape, madness, mayhem, and murder. Four guys, Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronnie Cox, head out for a canoe trip in the wilds of Georgia. Despite the omens of seeing a very repressed area with lots of backwoods hillbillies that are extremely inbred, they embark on their journey and even make fun of the locals. Deep in their journey, two of the men, Voight and Beatty, are captured by some backwoods crazies. Beatty is graphically raped in a most brutal sequence and as Voight is about to be forced into fellatio on one of the fine fellas, Burt Reynolds saves the day by killing the guy with his bow and arrow. From there, things get worse as the boys struggle to get back to civilization with one of the psychos still after them. Believable characters, unexpected twists, incredible action sequences, daring stunts, and beautiful photography highlight this movie just full of atrocities and madness. Expertly written by famed alcoholic poet and novelist James Dickey, DELIVERANCE takes you on a journey of heart, soul, and change as you watch what happens to these "everyday characters" put in these horrible circumstances. Burt Reynolds is in his prime, at his very best, in the role that shot him to stardom, despite not ending up as the "hero", per se. This movie ushered in a whole "backwoods" genre unto itself, along with LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, and it deserves more respect from the horror crowd. It's brutal, unapologetic, and stands the test of time decades later. You can't plan to make a work of art this good, it just happens. Riveting and tension filled, check it out again. And if it's your first time, I envy the view you're about to have...They just don't make 'em like this anymore!
You view this movie today and what comes to mind? That old expression, "They sure don't make em like they used to." And wow, they don't. This is a classic tale of survival, rape, madness, mayhem, and murder. Four guys, Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronnie Cox, head out for a canoe trip in the wilds of Georgia. Despite the omens of seeing a very repressed area with lots of backwoods hillbillies that are extremely inbred, they embark on their journey and even make fun of the locals. Deep in their journey, two of the men, Voight and Beatty, are captured by some backwoods crazies. Beatty is graphically raped in a most brutal sequence and as Voight is about to be forced into fellatio on one of the fine fellas, Burt Reynolds saves the day by killing the guy with his bow and arrow. From there, things get worse as the boys struggle to get back to civilization with one of the psychos still after them. Believable characters, unexpected twists, incredible action sequences, daring stunts, and beautiful photography highlight this movie just full of atrocities and madness. Expertly written by famed alcoholic poet and novelist James Dickey, DELIVERANCE takes you on a journey of heart, soul, and change as you watch what happens to these "everyday characters" put in these horrible circumstances. Burt Reynolds is in his prime, at his very best, in the role that shot him to stardom, despite not ending up as the "hero", per se. This movie ushered in a whole "backwoods" genre unto itself, along with LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, and it deserves more respect from the horror crowd. It's brutal, unapologetic, and stands the test of time decades later. You can't plan to make a work of art this good, it just happens. Riveting and tension filled, check it out again. And if it's your first time, I envy the view you're about to have...They just don't make 'em like this anymore!
