8. Deliverance (1972) (Dir. John Boorman)
John Boorman’s famously uncomfortable thriller about a river-rafting trip that goes horribly wrong in the dangerous Georgia back country is one of the greatest “feel bad” movies of the seventies: the key here is in the casting, with three uptight city boys (Jon Voight, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox) and their delusional, apocalypse-craving guide (Bert Reynolds) played to perfection by four accomplished actor at the top of their game. James Dickey wrote the screenplay – based on his novel – without making many changes, though the film never feels like an adaptation, but a vibrant, terrifying and utterly realistic portrait in the hands of director John Boorman. The “squeal like a pig” scene has become the butt of many a joke (including that one), though for those who have actually seen Deliverance, the film has never lost its strange, otherworldly power.
Published: Dec 5, 2012 05:37 pm