Strong and Moving!

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

At the risk of triggering the possible removal of my own reviews, which are far from perfect, I wish the editors of IMDb would be more selective about the "user reviews" that they pass for publication here. More selectivity would upgrade the website immensely, especially the elimination of the nonsense that sometimes accompanies films that have achieved commercial success. While most of the user reviews here are seriously written and therefore worthwhile, even when I don't agree with them, a minority of writers, many of whom can't even properly put two full, English sentences together, ruin it for everyone, as has become all too common on the Internet in general. There. I finally got that off my chest.The much discussed confrontation between the local mountain men and the characters of Ed (John Voight) and Bobby (Ned Beatty) was not merely placed in the original book for gratuitous or sensationalist purposes. Although it is a very graphic and disturbing scene, it exists to illustrate one of the book's most important themes. While the group of adventurers seeks "deliverance" from what might be overly restrictive and even oppressive rules and conventions of modern civilization, they are totally unprepared for the absence of such restrictions in a world that they obviously do not know. Instead of being liberated from the confining norms of urban existence, they suddenly find themselves as endangered victims of a world where such social rules and regulations no longer exist. To me, there are some similarities of the "horror" the men find here to the theme of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness", which was adapted to the screen as "Apocalypse Now".Similarly, the writer does not exploit physical deformities for purely sensationalist purposes. These are conditions that are plainly visible in the rural world of the remote mountains rather than being kept hidden as they are in the "civilized", middle class world to which the urban adventurers are accustomed. The disfigured locals therefore serve as a forewarning to the visitors that the world they are about to enter is one that is very different from the one that they know. Accordingly, they need to apply, with much humility, the caution that they never exercise before it is too late for them. This film beautifully captures not only the natural sights of the river but the sounds as well. In general, I thought that the direction by John Boorman and the performances were excellent, including those of the lesser known actors who play the two menacing mountain men, Bill McKinney and Herbert "Cowboy" Coward. I am very impressed by the fact that the four leads risked doing their own stunts, including the swift water sequences. Accolades especially go to John Voight for scaling the gorge and to Burt Reynolds for quickly learning how to use a bow and arrow on short notice.My only problem was with the often hokey and hackneyed dialogue, especially at the beginning, but that seems minor in comparison to the highly suspenseful and thought provoking action that follows.

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!)

A critically-acclaimed drama from 1972 that was ahead of its time, Deliverance shows the tragic results of trying to reason with Donald Trump supporters. Stars Burt Reynolds and Jon Voight as sane people from civilization, who have to make difficult decisions about their own survival; decisions that are much tougher and more dangerous than the ones we will all have to make during the 2016 family holidays. The film doesn't hold back - there are some truly shocking scenes in Deliverance, perhaps more shocking even than watching a 2016 presidential debate or campaign speech. This film is well worth watching, and will provide a welcome escape from the drama engulfing all our lives. Sort of. Well, at least the scenery is different.

Question: Did this film really offer the kind of entertainment that American and Canadian movie-goers wanted to see back in 1972? Answer: Yes. It would seem so. And proof of that is here in one plain fact - Deliverance was made on a modest budget of just $2 million and yet it grossed over $46 million at the box-office in its first year, alone.I guess its phenomenal popularity all came down to Deliverance being the very first mainstream film to ever show a homosexual (a hillbilly homosexual, that is) being killed.And that, I guess, gave many movie-goers the greatest pleasure and satisfaction in being witness to that.I mean, otherwise - What else could it be that attracted such a large audience to sit through this tiresome picture and then, afterwards, praise it with glowing approval? *Note* - Deliverance also lost some significant points for exploiting "real-life" human deformity (aka. the inbred hillbillies) solely for the sake of idle entertainment. (Yes. Those "freaks" we see were real people, sans make-up effects)