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Affliction
1998
Based on the novel by Russell Banks, AFFLICTION is a sobering, absorbing psychological study of the precarious relationship between an abusive father and his two sons. Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) is a middle-aged ineffectual sheriff in a small New Hampshire town, where he and his brother, Rolfe (Willem Dafoe), were raised. .. Read more
| Starring | Nick Nolte, James Coburn, Sissy Spacek, Willem Dafoe |
|---|---|
| Director | Paul Schrader |
| Genres | Drama |
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Affliction
Based on the novel by Russell Banks, AFFLICTION is a sobering, absorbing psychological study of the precarious relationship between an abusive father and his two sons. Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) is a middle-aged ineffectual sheriff in a small New Hampshire town, where he and his brother, Rolfe (Willem Dafoe), were raised. When events shatter the quiet of his small town, Wade is forced to confront the past and reexamine his life, attempting a reconciliation with his abusive, alcoholic dad, Glen (James Coburn), by moving back home to look after him. This quietly intense, haunting, and beautifully filmed story unfolds against the harsh snow-white backdrop of a town where everyone knows each other. But more than anything, it is the brilliant performances of its cast that mark this film.
| Starring | Nick Nolte, James Coburn, Sissy Spacek, Willem Dafoe, Mary Beth Hurt, Jim True |
|---|---|
| Director | Paul Schrader |
| Studio | ARTIFICIAL EYE |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 49 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 19 Feb 2001 Production year: 1998 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (6)
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Part thriller, part examination of a man in midlife crisis. this is a bleak but well-performed adaptation of the Russell Banks novel. Nick Nolte plays a traffic cop in a small, snow-covered New England town. When his friend Jack (Jim True) returns from a hunting expedition claiming the businessman he took with him died from a self-inflicted wound, Nolte seeks an escape from his damning ex-wife by turning detective. His subsequent mental disintegration is both painful and powerful to watch. Too black to be mainstream, this is nevertheless a tour de force for Nolte, though it was James Coburn who won the Oscar for his portrayal of Nolte's abusive father.
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"...Nolte and Coburn are magnificent in this film....It is revealing to watch them in their scenes together....[Coburn] rises to occasion with a performance of power..."
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Most helpful member's review
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4 out of 5 people found this review helpful
flatters to deceive
Playing a small town sherrif who suddenly finds himself out of his depth and spiralling down gives a role worthy of Nick Nolte who is usually the best thing in a lot of his films. With strong support from Sissy Spacek, James Coburn and an underused Wilhelm Dafoe. But script and direction fail to lift it to the heights it could have. Schrader is not upto the story and would have suited someone like Sean Penn more.
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Most recent members' review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Solid but unspectacular
Nick Nolte plays a sheriff in a small American town who struggles in his relationships and lives in the shadow of his abusive father, played with menace by James Coburn in an Oscar-winning role. Nolte does well as does his supporting cast of Sissy Spacek and Willem Dafoe. However, Coburn stands out and the film would have benefited from seeing more of him.
Whilst the performances are uniformly good and the story a powerful one, I found the film hard to engage with. It feels like a companion piece to Fargo but lacks its heart. Maybe this is a reflection of the stony, cold-hearted nature of ths story.
In short, this is a solid film from Paul Schrader but ulimately, not as fulfilling as it could be. -
News and features
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The faces of Greg Kinnear, Steve Carrell and Abigail Breslin adorn one wall of the press lounge in Festival HQ. Al Gore stares down on us from the other side. Between them, they pretty much sum up what people come to Sundance for: a little ray of commercial sunshine, or the hard-hitting documentary truth. Even before the festival got underway bloggers were writing off the prospects for another Little Miss Sunshine, Napoleon Dynamite or Garden State to emerge from this year's dramatic... Read more
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Affliction
Based on the novel by Russell Banks, AFFLICTION is a sobering, absorbing psychological study of the precarious relationship between an abusive father and his two sons. Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) is a middle-aged ineffectual sheriff in a small New Hampshire town, where he and his brother, Rolfe (...
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