After what seems like an eternity, I can finally put my charred, warped VHS copy to rest and feast on Warner Brother’s beautiful widescreen, crisp transfer of this classic 70s film.Many of you have probably never heard of this film. One of the 1970s true lost masterpieces, Straight Time, despite having one of the top actors of the decade (Dustin Hoffman) starring in it was poorly marketed by Warner Brothers and died a quick death in theaters without so much as a whimper in 1978. So upset was Hoffman, that he actually sued Warner Brothers for what he construed as the mishandling of the picture. After watching the film, you’ll understand his anger.

 

Straight Time contains what might ARGUABLY be Hoffman’s greatest work. Hoffman’s Max Dembo can be thrown in with his finest character work including Benjamin Braddock, Ratzo Rizzo,Lenny Bruce, Ted Kramer, Michael Dorsey and Raymond Babbitt. Max Dembo (Hoffman), a career criminal, is paroled and released from Folsom Maximum Security Prison in California. He goes to Los Angeles. At the beginning, he genuinely and painfully tries to lead a straight and narrow life and conform with the rules and restrictions of his parole.

 

Unfortunately, his parole officer Earl Frank (M. Emmet Walsh) is PRECISELY the type of human Max can’t deal with. Frank is the epitome of American bureaucratic evil. He pretends to be sympathetic hiding behind a sadistic smile and condescending tone but inside he is a cruel racist who loves wielding the power he has over his parolees.