'Deliverance' (1972), a Simple Story with Powerful Drama

Four Atlanta businessmen, Lewis (Burt Reynolds), Ed (Jon Voight), Bobby (Ned Beatty), and Drew (Ronny Cox), are going canoeing on Georgia's Cahulawassee River before the construction of a dam and a lake begins. During their trip, the group encounters a couple of rednecks who beat Ed and Bobby and one of them (Bill McKinney) rapes Bobby. Lewis sees the situation and kills the rapist but the other redneck escapes. After some arguing about what to do with the corpse, the group decides it's best to bury the body and act like nothing happened. They must continue down the river and are forced to endure rapids, death, injury, being shot at, and must commit murder in order to survive -- and they cannot tell anyone, concocting a cover story to protect themselves.

"Deliverance" is a very simple story with a powerful and emotional drama that makes this a really unique and groundbreaking movie especially for 1972. The impact of some of the scenes goes well beyond the scope of its original intent. It gave rise to some of the darker torture-type movies of the 70s such as "Last House on the Left" (1972) that released to theaters a few weeks later.

While this film does show some dark and violent scenes, it takes a backseat to the drama and acting that clearly raises this movie up a few notches from mediocrity to a lasting piece of cinematic history.

"Deliverance" is based on a novel by James Dickey, a story of survival that combines a thriller with a drama. A simple canoeing trip becomes a nightmare for all four of the main characters who are forever changed after the events that transpire. It reminds of me of a scaled down version of the novel, "Lord of the Flies," about schoolboys on a deserted island who create their own society with horrible results. Both show human nature at its worst with savagery for self-preservation. Unlike "Lord of the Flies," the main characters of "Deliverance" remain together and don't hurt each other but are confronted by the savage nature of the land and those who live there -- they must lose some of their civility in order to fight the savage obstacles before them if they are to survive.

The four stars of "Deliverance" do a phenomenal job and it was an early movie for most of them, being the first movie for Beatty and the third role for Cox. Voight had a bit of acting experience, mostly in television. With Reynolds' macho character, Lewis, it is also the movie that elevated him from a modest mid-card but veteran actor to super stardom. It is the great acting ability of these four that make the drama believable and carry the movie from start to finish.

The characters are terrific, each with a very different personality that makes for dynamic interaction. Lewis takes the lead as an experienced outdoorsman, Ed has some experience, and Bobby and Drew are novices. Reynolds steals the show with his cocksure, cocky, and macho portrayal of Lewis, making it easy to see why it left a lasting impression on his career.

Aside from the main characters, "Deliverance" is also remembered for two scenes involving other cast members.

The first is what I like to call "banjo boy" and involves a famous scene in which Drew and a local redneck boy, Lonnie (Billy Redden), play "Dueling Banjoes," (Drew on guitar) a well-known bluegrass song. Who can forget that song? A few notes of the song are used from time to time throughout the movie so it's definitely a memorable part of "Deliverance."

The second just has to be when the redneck (Bill McKinney) rapes Bobby in the mud and yells at him, "I bet you can squeal like a pig. Weeeeeeee!" There is just something so savage and vile about this scene that it has an indelible impact on viewers. It's not just the quote and the rape but the fact that it's happening to a grown man. I know rape against women is just as bad but guys have an image of being physically stronger than women and, for a stronger person to be raped, it makes it just that much more powerful of a heinous attack. I guess it just goes against what we usually hear about. This scene will definitely live with me forever.

"Deliverance" is rated R for strong violence including a rape, grisly images, and some language. I wouldn't recommend anyone under age 13 watching this movie because the rape scene is too brutal even for some adults. It's not graphic or anything like that but the scene is enough for us to know what is occurring.

The movie has a runtime of 110 minutes and it is mostly slow-paced to build the drama realistically. It makes the faster-paced scenes all the more impactful.

On a funny note, when I first saw this movie long ago. I thought Ronny Cox was David Letterman, especially with his contorted demise.

Overall, "Deliverance" is a great movie that really strikes a chord within all of us by showing the drastic changes we are capable of as our survival instincts kick in when confronted with adversity, be it nature or man. This movie strips nature down to its most basic components and builds a story of complex emotion and physical strain. The acting adds the realistic touch that really brings the story to life. I recommend everyone see this movie -- if the rape scene is too much for you, you can always fast-forward past that brief scene without missing anything crucial.

Rating: 4/5

Trivia

To save money, the production was not insured and the actors did their own stunts.

Local residents were hired for the roles of the hillbillies/rednecks.

Burt Reynolds broke his coccyx bone while going down the rapids. At first a cloth dummy was used but was deemed to appear too much "like a dummy going over a waterfall". So Reynolds did the stunt himself and while recuperating, he asked, "How did it look?" The director replied, "Like a dummy going over a waterfall."

Quote

Lewis: Sometimes you have to lose yourself 'fore you can find anything.