Others won’t understand why Max’s friend Jerry, who despite being an ex-con has on the surface, achieved the perfect straight life. He has a house in Burbank, a pool, a patio, a wife, a business, etc. Yet, the first moment he gets Max alone he tells him “Get me outta here. I can’t make this scene anymore.” He doesn’t care WHAT it is Max has planned for a score; he just wants to do it, preferably with a shotgun.

 

Why would he throw it away, you ask? You almost certainly won’t understand Max Dembo, the character through which we see and hear everything. You certainly don’t like him at the end of the film. He is by definition a sociopath. You see him do horrific, unspeakable things. Yet, you STILL feel sorry for him and what his inevitable fate will be. And that is precisely because he DOES try so hard to adjust to society after getting out.

 

He does all he can but STILL ends up back in prison for basically no fault of his own. He is shut out by society and thus falls into recidivism. He knows nothing else. The straight life got him nowhere so what else is there for him to do but go back to scoring? That’s the only thing that makes him feel safe and secure.

 

At one point, you see him break through a wall to steal a shotgun from a pawn shop and literally coo to himself like a happy baby after he snatches it from the wall and holds it powerfully in his hands. That speaks volumes as to who this man is.

                                                                                                          

All he really wants, as he points out to Frank at the beginning of the film, is “I just want to be like everybody else. I want a decent job, I want a decent place to live, I want somebody to love me, I want clothes on my back and have some self-respect.” Seems simple, but when you’ve been institutionalized for the VAST MAJORITY of your life, it is almost impossible to “be like everybody else.”

 

Straight Time expresses this reality clearly and most painfully.That’s what makes you empathize with him.You cannot judge these characters like you would in a film made today.That is because you, the audience, were so respected by the real actors, writers and directors of the time that they wanted to present you with characters without pre-packaged lives that are spelled out for you 

 

That would allow you the luxury of USING YOUR BRAIN and THINKING about what is behind these people rather than being TOLD what they are and how you should feel like INFANTS. Sorry to break it to you ladies and gents, but the majority of films made today are made because you are considered to be a bunch of stupid primates with little to no attention span and absolutely NO DESIRE to use your imagination or brain AT ALL.

 

While Hoffman is the central figure and dominates the screen, his supporting cast magnificently pulls their weight. Russell, Busey, Stanton and Walsh all create unforgettable characters that you may or may not like but you’ll feel strongly about them one way or another when the film ends. Hoffman is simply astounding as Max Dembo. 

La critique de Monsters & Critic (suite)

                                                                                                      

Like most classic screen performances, his best moments are without dialogue but simply looking into his angry,confused,scared psyche through his eyes and gestures.It is because of these quiet moments when you really see into this man’s mind,that you are able to generate any kind of sympathy at all. He is essentially a scared, lonely child who desperately wants a better life but is denied it by an unforgiving institutional and legal authority.

 

It really does remind one of his Ratzo Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy only less sympathetic. At the end, you may detest Dembo and what he has done not just to himself but also to other innocents including his girlfriend. But to Hoffman’s credit, he is able to make a most unlikable, unsympathetic character into one you truly feel pity for and that will haunt you the rest of your life. This is acting at its highest which is to say that you never “see” anyone acting.

 

They are simply playing out their characters and compulsions honestly and without judgment  

Credit must also go to composer David Shire whose sad, brooding score is not overused but is effective when used. Many of the most powerful scenes in the film have NO background music, which only adds to the intensity.The extras, which include the theatrical trailer, also include the long-awaited release of the 23-minute documentary “He Wrote it for Criminals” which was shot during the making of the film but never released.  

 

It focuses on Edward Bunker, the real-life career felon/convict who took to writing in prison and wrote the novel No Beast So Fierce. Hoffman had read the book and immediately optioned it to be made into a film. The documentary features interviews with Bunker while still in prison, Hoffman, Stanton and director Ulu Grosbard on set and author Joseph Wambaugh. If you are at all interested in the subject matter, this is perfect to watch after viewing the film. Bunker, unlike his fictional Max Dembo, had a much better outcome and indeed was successful at straight life.

 

Straight Time introduced him to Hollywood where he would enjoy a successful writing career as well as small acting parts here and there.He actually has a small cameo in Straight Time as one of Max’s criminal buddies he hooks back up with after he has gone back to crime. His No Beast So Fierce would have a lasting effect on crime films. He based the screenplay for Runaway Train, which he co-wrote, on it and had a bit part as a convict in it.

 

If anyone remembers, he was also the little-seen Mr. Blue in Reservoir Dogs.  Another one of Bunker’s novels Animal Factory was turned into a film in 2000 with Steve Buscemi directing and Bunker adapting the screenplay. He would also serve as a technical consultant on Heat and Michael Mann made his No Beast So Fierce required reading for DeNiro and his crew. Sadly, Bunker passed away 2 years ago due to diabetes.  

 

He is at the forefront of the documentary and gives you an excellent insight into the man and his troubled pastThe other extra is a highly enjoyable commentary with Hoffman and director Ulu Grosbard. They were recorded separately and one wonders if the difficulties during the shoot between the two necessitated it.

 

Both men are bluntly honest about the difficulties involved from Hoffman wanting to initially direct to the head of Warner Brothers telling Hoffman that no one would want to see the film. Hoffman had hand picked Grosbard to direct after he knew that he couldn’t. This was based on their previous friendship that dated back to Broadway.

 

In fact Grosbard had actually given Hoffman No Beast So Fierce years back so it was fitting that he would be a part of the filming. There are numerous stories the men relate, many having to do with Edward Bunker and the extensive research Hoffman did for the part which included spending vast amounts of time with Bunker, other convicts, and even smuggling himself inside San Quentin Prison for a day in order to hang out with the convicts.

 

Hoffman’s droning voice throughout the commentary may be somewhat disorienting at first but it is quite clear that he holds this film in high regard despite its commercial failure. I can’t recall another commentary the man has done for any other of his 70s films. Neither shy away from the conflicts they had during filming, Grosbard forbade Hoffman into the editing room,and Hoffman admits that this was the lowest point of his life personally  

 

He speaks of the divorce he was going through as well as experimenting with drugs at that period of his life. He admits that he was not easy to work with and that combined with the long hours, little sleep and intensity of the work led to him having a physical breakdown that halted shooting for a week.  This would be an excellent example of how a good commentary by willing participants can be akin to a mini film school lesson. It’s that informative.

 

The ONLY complaint I have would be the cover art for the DVD case, which is also on the DVD itself. It shows Hoffman early on in the film as he is searching for a job. For some stupid reason, Warners felt it needed to photoshop a gun in his jacket that can be clearly seen.I presume it was to make the film seem more violent than it is. Needless to say when you watch the scene at the beginning there is no gun in his jacket. That pisses me off to say the least but that is literally the ONLY flaw I found with the presentation.