Movie Review: Deliverance
Deliverance is a tough watch but an inspiring one.
Released in 1972 and starring Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds, it is the story of four city slicker friends who go out to rural Georgia for a canoe trip. The first act features an amazing banjo duel concert with a local boy that ends with some subtle foreshadowing of the coming darkness. The movie takes its time with the first half hour focused completely on the friends camping and canoeing and enjoying the beautifully shot scenery. We get to know Ed, Lewis, Bobby, and Drew quite well and see them bond over their unique perspectives and conversations. The time the movie invests here is paid off in the emotional impact of the film’s second act that begins with the cruel victimization of one of the friends, Bobby, at the hands of some truly evil mountain men.
Actor Ned Beatty deserves a lot of credit for his bravery. The scene, featuring no music, is starkly shot, exploitive, and painful to watch. However the pain is the point. What follows is more violence, injury, and the tragic death of one of the four friends (won’t spoil it). The work of surviving these circumstances is presented slowly with no fancy camera tricks or drama. We feel their arduous journey and the aftermath is all the more raw as a result.
Deliverance is at its core a very masculine film (there are basically no female characters) about overcoming adversities both physical and mental. There is also some thoughtful commentary on the nature of civilization, genetic classes of men, and the naïveté of urban people about life outside of cities. The movie has aged well in part because of the timelessness of these themes and also the fact that it relies on strong character work, a simple plot, and a naturally beautiful setting. Jon Voight is particularly good as Ed, the audience’s “voice of reason” everyman. The final shots with him at the ending are haunting in what they suggest about men’s capacity for carrying burdens and secrets.
Solid flick all around and easy to recommend.
Grade: B+
