Straight Time

source: Straight Time

Trailer—Straight Time

Straight Time

"Straight Time" gives a perfect insight into the inner circles of criminals amongst criminals. It's a bleak and true to life portrait of a seventies bank robber, excellently played by Dustin Hoffman. It's not a crowd pleaser, yet so full of character details, which makes it worthwhile watching for the art house movie fans, who will appreciate these finer acting qualities. Great supporting role by the lovely Theresa Russell in her younger years, who plays the love interest of bank robber Dustin Hoffman. Oh, how gorgeous and innocent she looks with her Bambi eyes. Beware: This is NOT a typical, butch heist movie, but a CHARACTER portrait of a criminal first most. It has got a slowburning, introspective style, in which a lot of anger inside Dustin Hoffman is about to burst to the surface. Without wanting to look for a moral in this story, I cant help but thinking, that crime breeds more crime. Once on the path of crime it's difficult to go straight again...

I wasn't expecting much from this film especially since it's only 6.9 on IMDb, and barely any posts about it, but don't let that fool you, this is probably one of the most under-appreciated movies i've ever seen in my life. I really see why Dustin Hoffman is sometimes regarded as one of the best actors of all-time.. he had such a strong performance, so congruent and alpha. It's really a movie where you just GOT to keep watching to see what happens next, and it's well worth watching, you'll love it. I think if more people see it, it's going to be a "cult favorite". 8.5/10 GO SEE IT!

Dustin Hoffman is surprisingly serious, surprisingly gritty playing a recently paroled thief named Max Dembo who can't seem to straighten out his life. After meeting a new lady who is very supportive of him, Dembo reverts back to the only thing he really knows: robbery. Tough and vivid character study based on real-life convict Edward Bunker's novel "No Beast So Fierce" gives Hoffman a wonderful chance as an actor to stretch some technical muscles (he hadn't been this focused in years). Ulu Grosbard's atmospheric direction aids in Hoffman's triumph, as well as some flavorful dialogue (worked on by several writers). Theresa Russell is lovely as the smitten secretary in Max's life, supporting work from M. Emmet Walsh also good. The picture is marred by gaps of logic or credibility, not to mention by a tepid finale, but otherwise it's quite gripping. *** from ****

"Straight Time," hoisted high by a brilliant and dexterous performance by Dustin Hoffman, pulls off a very unusual trick: It's one of the only movies in memory where a character we fully identify with turns out to not be such a good guy - and stays that way. "Straight Time" begins on Max's (Hoffman) side and shows us what appears to be a handsome, wounded soul suffering at the hands of an injustice legal system. But Max turns out to be no angel, and yet through the very end, we care about his fortunes and want things to work out for him. It's a brave and gritty role, and Hoffman, on screen the entire film, embodies it. Compare "Straight Time" to "Monster," and see that Lee Wuornos and Max Deblor are cousins. Both characters are labyrinthine in their depth, and both actors find the perfect pitch.

This movie creeps up on you, gets a kind of emotional hold on you and digs in through the end. Really, a terrific 70s style film (should have been made in 1973). Dustin Hoffman is outstanding. He gives an understated performance that fits the atmosphere of the movie, the story and himself perfectly. It is one of his best performances. Theresa Russell, and Harry Dean Stanton also deliver excellent performances. A very good example of how story, and acting that is true to the story, matter so much in making a good film. Urls Grosbard does a good job of establishing the mood of the film and carrying it all the way through, without hitting you over the head with unnecessarily forced dialog or drawn-out action sequences, etc.

This modest movie captured the blown out angst of the 70's better than any other film and is a worthy addition to the great tradition of noir gangster dramas that began with High Sierra (starring Bogart). It is also a high point in Dustin Hoffman's career, perhaps his greatest performance. Unlike pictures such as "Rambo," it does not so much romanticize the violence as make the viewer pity the protagonist for his tragic choice. I wonder if any parolees who saw this movie decided to go straight rather than risk the dangers of returning to a life of crime. I also wonder if any parole officers who saw it were persuaded to be more humane in their treatment of ex-cons. Haven't seen one this good in a long long time!

This is such a great film. The cast is so excellent. You've got Dustin Hoffman, who turns in one of his best performances, but it only gets better from there. Gary Busey plays Hoffman's buddy and husband to Kathy Bates-both excellent. Harry Dean Stanton (probably one of my favorite actors) plays one of Hoffman's partners in heist. His performance is right on the money as always. M. Emmet Walsh plays Hoffman's nearly inhumanly sleazy parole officer. Walsh does such a good job here too(I read somewhere that the Coens saw him in this movie and that was what led them to cast him in Blood Simple). Theresa Russell does a nice job as Hoffman's girlfriend. Eddie Bunker himself shows up as a bartender. It's no one wonder Tarantino would want to study this film-it's remarkable.