Review of Sadgati (1981) by Chris C — 19 Sep 2011

It is difficult for me to review older films when I do not enjoy them as much as I expect or hope that I will enjoy them. Deliverance, a film I've always heard mention of and seen parody of, was, at the risk of sounding pretentious, OK.

The characters are solid and well developed. They are all strikingly different and we have a clear sense from the beginning the relationship and dynamic between them. What I found immediately refreshing was this sense of character that was not forced the way I see it forced in many modern pictures. The characters are natural, and the actors do such a fantastic job playing them that truly the roles are timeless. Each character is well defined and this was truly the element I found most enjoyable about Deliverance.

The plot as well, which only begins to emerge in full force near the end, blew me away. This goes hand in hand with the character development as we see explicit changes in three of them by the end. Dynamic characters such as these, I feel, are in short supply these days. In horror films especially there seems to be less emphasis nowadays on characterization than is acceptable. Deliverance was refreshing in that it reminded me of how full characters CAN be even in such dire circumstances.

Deliverance has its moments. The infamous rape scene, for instance, is beyond tense and masterfully executed- but it can tend to overshadow the film as a whole. That's what I mean by it has its moments. Some are just so powerful and jaw dropping and some are just.. Meh.. There are a lot of Man versus Nature elements involved, and at times these scenes move slow and the pace of the film suffers as a result. While there are scenes that have you hooked, they can be followed by scenes that make you want to check your email. Admittedly, it took me three sittings to finish Deliverance, and that's partly the cause for my more or less, "It's OK," review of this American classic. Perhaps with subsequent viewings and analysis into the thematic elements, my appreciation would be heightened.