Straight Time (1978)

February 28, 2025 11:35 PM

After six years in prison, career criminal Max Dembo (Dustin Hoffman) faces an opportunity to go straight, despite old connections, a diligent parole officer, and a lifetime of instincts that got him where he is.

Also stars a young Theresa Russell, Gary Busey, Harry Dean Stanton, M. Emmet Walsh, and Kathy Bates.

Set in a grubby 1970s L.A., with a strong cast, this character study is based on the novel No Beast So Fierce by Edward Bunker, who was a real life convict before falling into writing. Bunker also had a hand in the script, and has a bit part in the movie.

posted by 2N2222 (1 comment total)

Hoffman is in top form here. His Max Dembo seems bewildered by new freedom and the thought of earning an honest living, almost immediately brushing up against the restrictions of his parole.

M. Emmet Walsh takes a minimal role as parole officer Earl Frank, and hits it out of the park.

Max pays his old buddy Willy a visit, who offers support. Willy's wife, Selma (another small part played wonderfully by a young Kathy Bates), is less enthusiastic, knowing her family's stability is threatened by by these old friends getting together.

Her concern is justified. Willy inadvertently triggers a parole violation sending Max on a path from which he (and ultimately Willy) cannot recover.

Harry Dean Stanton always brings gold to his performances, and does again here as Jerry, another old bud. Despite the relatively clean and prosperous path he's enjoyed, he longs for thrill and sense of accomplishment he got from pulling successful robberies like he'd done in the past, and exhibits a sense of precision and professionalism nobody else, including Max, can live up to.

Theresa Russell brings some liveliness to a part that feels like the least credible in the movie. She does so with both her performance and camera-friendly presence, in this early appearance of her career.

I particularly love the scenes of L.A.'s humbler areas, especially Willy's modest house, complete with a janky old oil jack pump rocking in the back yard.
posted by 2N2222 at 4:33 PM on March 1 [1 favorite]