1001 Movies Club - Deliverance (1972)

#548. Deliverance (1972)

Why It's In The Book: "Most other directors... would have made a standard he-man adventure movie but Boorman, working from Dickey's screenplay, goes for a more disturbing approach, always questioning what the characters' heroism really means... Among the highlights: the unforgettable "feudin' banjos" scene as Drew plays a duet with a withered, porch-sitting manchild who turns out to be an amazing musician, and an oft-imitated last-minute horror twist..." -1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Member Ratings

Alyson - 8/10
"I don’t plan trusting anyone I find in the woods, whether he's got all his teeth or not."
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Castor - 8/10
"A minimalistic but superbly crafted movie that succeeds thanks to its intense atmosphere and tension. Deliverance plays on the fear that many people have of going to unknown and untamed places where the unimaginable might happen."
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Movie Guy Steve - 8/10
"...it’s unfair that Deliverance is best remembered for the two things that everyone remembers because there is a lot more here than just an inbred banjo player and Ned Beatty in his underpants."
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Tom Clift - 8/10
"A tale of violence, cowardice and compromise, Deliverance is almost impossible to summarize; the best I can do is to call it a brutally human story about evil and mans reaction when faced with it."
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Adolytsi - 7/10
"Watching it I was keen to attempt to observe just what about it made it a so-called landmark film. Suffice it to say, I couldn’t come up with anything."
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Darwin - 7/10
"Deliverance had the momentum for a more riveting conclusion. I am sure the story could have splashed more suspense or raised the stakes a little higher."
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Fey - 7/10
"Burt Reynolds is a man amongst boys. Now that I have discussed that, we can get on with business."
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Heather - 7/10 
"In essence Deliverance felt like an exploration of violence, it’s nature, and how it influences and plays into humanity. What could make one regular man turn into something just as dismal and morally compromised as some of the characters go through?"
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 Alfindeol - 6/10
"See it for it's lasting impact on visual style and it's world renowned hillbilly rape scene."
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johnlgilpatrick - 6/10
"Deliverance is one part rousing adventure, one part cautionary tale, one part criminal cover-up, one part fish-out-of-water story, all mixed together with a little violence and some humor. And that's the film's problem; it doesn’t have an identity."
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Overall Rating: 7/10