Deliverance (1972)

Star Rating: 3

Length of Film: 109 minutes

Director: John Boorman

Cast: Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox, Ed Ramey, Billy Redden, Seamon Glass, Randall Deal, Bill McKinney, Herbert Coward, Lewis Crone, Ken Keener, Johnny Popwell, John Fowler, Kathy Rickman

Oscar nominations: John Boorman (best picture), John Boorman (director), Tom Priestley (editing)

Ed- Jon Voight                

                                                  Lewis- Burt Reynolds

    

Bobby- Ned Beatty (film debut)

 Drew- Ronny Cox 

                  (film debut)                       

Deliverance is a movie based off of American writers, book of the same name, written in 1970 by James Dickey (who has a cameo in the movie as Sheriff Bullard). The movie is about 4 men, from the suburbs who decide to take a vacation, canoeing down the river. While Lewis and Ed talk to some of the locals to see if they could drive their car to their stopping point, Drew has a banjo battle with one of the locals, Lonnie, played by Billy Redden who was supposed to "look" like an inbred and retarded. Billy, the 15 year old actor did not actually play the banjo, the real musician reached around, from behind Redden. Drew, played by Ronny Cox, is an actual musician, what you see on screen, is actually him playing. Throughout the film, you will here the theme music, which is introduced by Drew and Lonnie. Below is a link, to the scene of "Dueling Banjos"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tqxzWdKKu8

Once the men secured drives, they set off in the water. Lewis was full force down the rapids, with no fear. The next day, Lewis and Drew rode together, and then Ed and Bobby, they separated, and Ed and Bobby made it to shore first. They ran into to mountain men. One took Bobby, made him strip down to his underwear and squeal like a pig. This is the CRAZIEST part of the whole movie.

Mountain Man: Them panties, take 'em off. Get up, boy!
Come on, get on up there.

Bobby: No, no, no.

Oh, no. Don't. Don't.

Mountain Man: Hey, boy. You look just like a hog.

Bobby: No, don't.

Mountain Man: Just like a hog.
Come here, piggy, piggy, piggy.
Come on, piggy. Come on, piggy.
Come on, piggy, give me a ride.
Get up and give me a ride.

Bobby: All right.

Mountain Man: Get up! Get up there!

Bobby: All right. Oh, no, no.

Mountain Man: Looks like we got us a sow here, instead of a boar.

Bobby: Don't! Don't!

Mountain Man: What's the matter, boy?
I bet you squeal.
I bet you can squeal like a pig.
Let's squeal. Squeal now.

Squeal.
Squeal.
Squeal louder. Louder.
Louder.
Louder!
Louder!
Louder! Get down now, boy!
There, get them britches down.
That's that.

Ed, tied to a tree, being watched by the toothless man, watches his friend get raped by the mountain man. Of course, Lewis and Drew come to the rescue and Lewis kills the mountain man, and the toothless man escapes. The 4 men argue on what they should do with the body, Drew was the only one with a conscience who believed they should turn themselves in, he lost 3-1. So the idiot suburban men decide to bury the body right by a stream, so if ever there was a heay rainfall, the water pressure could break up the dirt and expose the body. Stupid...

After burying the mountain man, they got back on the canoes, and headed down the mountain. Drew did not put on his life jacket, he was reminded many times by Joe to wear the jacket, they got to strong rapids and he fell overboard. Lewis and Bobby's canoe split and both were spilled into the river. Both survived, except Lewis had a broken leg. Lewis is the macho man...the leader of the group, and once he breaks his leg...the characters personality changes. He comes this baby! At this moment, Ed steps up, and becomes the leader and the limelight is on him. Lewis believes that the toothless man shot Drew and that he's stalking the 3 men that are left, up on the cliff. Bobby stays with Lewis, and Ed travels up the cliff to kill the man who's threatening the safety of all of them. With a bow and arrow in hand, he sees the suspect. He has everything in place and then chokes, and soon as the toothless man spots him, he falls to the ground, stabbing his leg with his own arrow. (I can't make this up) The toothless man approaches Ed, and then collapes. The arrow Ed threw impailed and killed the man, but the man had his front teeth (duh duh duh!)

Drew died, Lewis has a broken leg, Bobby is emotionally distraught from being raped, and they just killed 2 men. To find out what happens in the end...rent the movie. :o)