Rating: R
Genre:
Drama
Release Date: 09/18/2007
SubTitles: Espanol
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: DD5.1/DD1
Run Time: 109 Minutes
Flags: Violence, Rape & Sexual Abuse, Not For Children, Profanity
Distributor/Studio: Warner Home Video
Adapted from
James Dickey's popular novel,
John Boorman's 1972 movie recounts the grueling psychological and physical journey taken by four city slickers down a river in the backwoods of Georgia. At the behest of
Iron John-esque
Lewis (
Burt Reynolds), the less adventuresome
Ed (
Jon Voight),
Bobby (
Ned Beatty), and
Drew (
Ronny Cox) agree to canoe down an uncharted section of the river before a dam project ruins the region. After warnings from the grimy, impoverished locals, and
Drew's tuneful yet ominous "Dueling Banjos" encounter with a mute inbred boy, the four men embark on their trip, exulting in the beauty of nature and the initial thrill of the rapids. The next day, however, things begin to take a turn for the worse when
Bobby and
Ed decide to rest on shore after becoming separated from
Lewis and
Drew. Two rifle-wielding mountain men (
Bill McKinney and
Herbert "Cowboy" Coward) emerge from the woods, tying up
Ed while one of them rapes
Bobby and makes him "squeal like a pig."
Lewis and
Drew rescue them, but the attack irrevocably changes the tenor of the journey. As the river gets rougher and rougher, the men come to nightmarish grips with what it means to survive outside the safety net of "civilization."
~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide