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The story is insanely simple: 4 men call it a weekend and go down Cahulawassee River to witness the beauty that is soon to be eradicated for themselves. It has the typical; An overly enthusiastic, 50/50 poetic guy, one 'normal' guy, one a pessimistic, mild guy and one who never shuts up, the vocal of the group - the comic relief, in short. If this were an action film then each of these guys would've stood out like a sore thumb and would've been overly stereotyped. Had it been comedy, their weaknesses would've been the butt of the joke and the seriousness a target of mockery. No matter what genre, these guys would've been "been there, done that". But since this is a thriller film and since it pits normal guys against extraordinary, and unpredictable, - otherwise realistic - situations and corners, each character feels right at home. Every character is realistic and relatable, if not 100% likable, and one can relate themselves to at least one character, depending on their personalities. Not only did John Boorman throw the characters in the right background, but he also chose the right cast. A cast so greatly chosen that I find it difficult to replace them with someone else. Take a look at Ronny Cox and Ned Beatty, both in their debuts. Both of their characters indeed suffered the usual cliche - The most vocal gets raped and the nice guy gets killed - but since this film had the most appropriate background for them, the point hit home. These things happen in real life and the bullies - in this case, the mountain men - usually go for the weak ones first, who in this case were Bobby and Drew.
Story-wise, Deliverance is a strongly scripted film and as brutal and hard-hitting as its dangerous waters and rocky terrains. Some films drag you headfirst into the action. Some take you by the hand and take sweet time in doing it. Deliverance, however, puts a hand around your shoulder, points into the distance and says, "Do you see that, my friend?" Nothing hidden, nothing subtle, everything is right in front you. And by that I mean the opening Banjo Duels scene. It may seem a sweet moment but it actually underlines, and foreshadows, everything that is to follow, namely unpredictability. Anyway, this is a brutal flick that requires all of your nerves to watch it and you will be amazed by the realistic approach of it that you can swear the people die for real. I really wasn't expecting this film to blow me away, but by the time it ended, I was left polarized and, frankly speaking, very disturbed.
Performance-wise, all 4 of them - Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox, Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds - were great and convincing in their roles, even if the last two did take time to catch up to the speed. The best from the bunch, however, was Ned Beatty as Bobby, the guy who gets raped. Fat guys in films always get the worst deal and/or are the most hilarious of the heroes. Bobby, however, is as realistic as they come. I really enjoyed his performance and it gets better after every 5 minutes.
In conclusion, Deliverance is a solid film and seriously not for the weak-hearted. I can assure you that there are no jump-scares or ultra-violence but the rape scene is bound to give you nightmares for a-many days.
8.5/10
