Review of Straight Time (1978) by Walter Z — 09 Jan 2012

This is not a film about a man moving up in the world of crime, but rather about his decline. The farther up he goes, the harder it is to go back down. Giving up begins to seem more and more futile, even if it means running for the rest of his life.

There is a cast of fine performances in "Straight Time", but the best acting comes from Hoffman, whose meticulous performance the film dwells upon. He manifests the character of Max better than any other actor imaginable, and not once does his acting ever falter.