Customer Reviews
great film! - By: S. Woodall, 12 Feb 2008 
I wasn't expecting much of this film, but in my opinion I thought it was reallly well-put together. There is excellent scenery & a decent plot about four friends who go camping along the river, & get attacked along the way. Enjoyable to watch & a superb ending. I would buy this film as you grow to like it & it doesn't get tedious. This is a film with twists & sometimes has suspense. It surprised me, I reallly took a liking to this film. A thriller to be enjoyed.
One of THE all-time great films - By: Mr. J. Young, 02 Jan 2008 I debated about giving this film 4 rather than 5 stars.
This is because I have the 'strange' habit with films in that I can literallly watch a film weekly for several weeks & then put it aside for a long time before going back to it 'fresh'. (I like to do this as I constantly find new things each time I watch). However, I cannot do this with 'Deliverance'. It is simply too disturbing to 'fixate' on in the way I personallly do - I cannot distance from the 'perceived reality' of the cinematography (No stunt doubles in the river scenes for a start) - & this adds to the strange, eery feel of the movie.
I have no doubt that if I could stomach repeated viewings I would find more & more that I have missed, but after viewing it once I *have* to shelve it for a while.
Zsigmond's photography complements some fine acting, & awesome scenery. The sound, presented in DD 5.1 - is astounding given the film's age. It supplies beauty & ugliness equallly. I don't know If I could class it as a 'horror' - but it is disturbing & thought provoking.
All of the above finds me rating it 5-stars, as the *intention* of the film, to induce thought, has worked well & still does. No point in my providing a synopsis, there are some superb reviews which do just that. I would say it is mandatory for anyone who has a remote interest in good film to own this movie.
Boorman's classic still delivers - By: T. S. Waddington, 28 Dec 2007 Few films manage to look fresh & original over 30 years after their original release however John Boorman's classic survival odyssey Deliverance (arguably his greatest work) still packs a powerful punch to contemporary audiences.
Deliverance is a film that can be viewed on many levels. First & foremost it is a tale of four men attempting to escape from their dreary city existence & discover themselves in the untamed wild. But also it is a demonstration of what can happen when two opposing worlds collide. John Voight & Burt Reynolds are perfectly cast as the protagonists alongside Ned Beatty & Ronny Cox in this adaptation of a novel by James Dickey. Filmed on the Chattooga river in Georgia the film opens with a view of the river & forest that will soon be buried beneath a lake. Over the top of this panning shot are the voices of the lead characters, as Lewis (Burt Reynolds) attempts to persuade the others to go on a canoe trip with him along the doomed river. There is looming sense of dread as the story builds up & John Boorman handles the direction of the film with subtle perfection. Many other directors may have been tempted to make Deliverance as macho thrill ride whereas Boorman creates a delicate portrayal of four men's fight for survival in alien surroundings. He also manages to generate a tense atmosphere of paranoia where the enemy is invisible & events are unclear. In particular the death of one of the lead characters is ambiguous & cleverly crafted as we are unsure whether he has been shot or not. Also this is shown when Jon Voight is forced to take out the hillbilly that has supposedly hunted them, & we along with him are uncertain whether the man he has shot with an arrow is the same one involved in the disturbing rape scene. The men are not only fighting the aggressive hill men however, there is a more deadly enemy, the river. This is emphasised by the first shot we see of the river which is a long & ponderous & we are immediately given the impression that the river is a living breathing entity that must be respected.
One of the most memorable scenes is the famous duelling banjos scene at the start of the film where Ronny Cox's character Drew faces off against one of the inbred locals. The conflict between the hillbillies & protagonists is prominent throughout the film. The two cultures collide at the beginning as they seem unable to communicate with one another. It is not until they have passed the trials & tribulations of the river that the locals seem able to accept them & by this point both the audience & the surviving characters have passed an ordeal that is sure to leave a memorable indentation.
GREAT THRILLER - By: Nevs, 26 Oct 2007 
4 Men in canoes set out to enjoy a 'lads bonding holiday' with a spot of fishing, drinking & talll tale telling.
The trip starts well when one of our holidaymakers strikes up a classic piece of music, 'duelling banjos' with a hillbillie boy.
Part way into the trip the men are set upon by a group of sadistic Hillbillies & forced into a horrific game of survival. Better than The Hills Have Eyes in my humble opinion.
Saw it 35 years too late! - By: L. Hay, 12 Aug 2007 
At the time of its release this film had mega hype. John Voigt & Burt Reynolds were the glamour boys of the day & had the girls drooling. At the time I probably would have liked it; or would I? We children of the sixties were notoriously fickle & gave credit when it was due. Finallly getting round to see it, (cannot imagine why I was prevented seeing it in the beginning), I was disappointed. The subject of male abuse would have no doubt been lost on me in 1972 as I would not even known what it was, so perhaps that was a major stunner at the time. Over the years no doubt many other features in the movie so innovative back then, have become common place.
It did not ring any bells I am afraid. I have now seen it & would not bother to watch it again.
The lessons it may have taught us, & horrors it showed us, have dissipated with time.
