Deliverance on DVD (1972)

Superb thriller

eando from London , 21/02/2005

A group of city-dwelling friends decide to take a canoe trip along an untamed Appalachian river that is about to be flooded by the local mining company.

They are lead, somewhat naively, by Lewis (Burt Reynolds) who is a strapping ‘man’s-man’ type. He believes that this river is an example of the dwindling, primeval environment that American industry is slowly destroying and that their trip will be it’s perfect swan-song.

His three companions are far less rugged: Ed (Jon Voight) is the affable neighbourly sort, Bobby (Ned Beatty) is the chubby salesman who is eager for acceptance but has a cowardly streak and Drew (Ronny Cox) is the capitulated suburban hippy (complete with guitar) who still believes he has a kinship with his fellow man.

What they all underestimate is that while the landscape may look very pretty (and John Boorman's direction does a fantastic job of this) it is as wildly unforgiving as it is beautiful.

This film has been a favourite of mine ever since I accidentally stumbled upon it on ITV late one night some years ago. Voight and Reynolds are excellent and are backed-up by magnificent, if a little more understated, performances by Beatty and Cox. I urge you to see this film but should warn you that camping trips will never seem the same again.

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Great Banjo's of Fire

trotsuk from LONDON , 17/05/2005

I just got this out again. Hadn't seen it for about ten years and had forgotten much of it. Sure, the vivid and horrific 'Squeal like a pig' scene had stuck with me, but others like the terrific 'Duelling Banjo' scene at the beginning had not. And i'd forgotten how Reynolds's macho man is forced to take a back seat and let Voights scared (and more relatable) everyman take over hero. This is Boorman's finest film, a work of a director at the top of his game, and a highly original story that'll scare people out of taking a trip off the beaten path in redneck middle America. A frank, honest and disturbing tale of a canoe trip gone very wrong, with a kickarse banjo soundtrack.

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Deliverance

A customer from High Wycombe, England , 01/02/2005

To see this movie is to understand not only the plot lines of many popular movies being currently produced, (such as Cabin fever); but also to understand many spoof references that crop up in everything from the Simpsons to Tarantino. The cast is interesting, Burt Reynolds, Jon Voigt and Ned Beatty and young given that it is over 30 year since this movie was produced (Burt Reynolds looks somewhat camper than usual). It is a disturbing look at the choices we make under pressure and you question what you would do in the all to real scenario depicted. Hearing the Banjo will never be the same

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Top notch movie

Oli from London, England , 22/03/2004

Gripping, suspenseful, disturbing. Burt Reynolds best.

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Banjo Players

A customer from Kent , 11/04/2007

I watched purely because of the infamous banjo melody that features. The film started rather slowly and at times lacked excitement however, some scenes were very suspenseful. The rape scene is very disturbing and I have read other reviews deeming it 'unnecessary' . I am unsure of this, being born long after this film was made, but watching the film I felt that perhaps this film broke a social taboo in displaying a scene of, homosexual, rape.

Al in all, this film's plot was rather weak. However, I believe the film was influential to many films to follow.

Watch it for the banjo player!

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Unwatchable

karla1234 from London , 12/06/2006

I found the whole film disturbing, and couldn't finish it.

The scenes of male rape were sickening, graphic and don't feel they were a necessary part of the film.

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