Deliverance

Anchored by some solid performances, strong direction, and a sharp aesthetic, “Deliverance” creates an atmosphere as threatening as it is beautiful and throws it’s characters right in the middle of it.

Deliverance is a classic film that nonetheless isn’t in the same league as poet James Dickey’s first (and only great) full-length fiction, a work as perfect in its way as, say, The Great Gatsby...

Not so much a cautionary tale as one of uncommon doggedness.

While thematically it's rich, and structurally it's daring to sideline Burt Reynolds' Lewis just before the third act... in this movie, cinematically, it's suicidal.