Review of Straight Time (1978) by Michael G — 03 Mar 2011

I watch a lot of movies and most of them are decent. A lot of the time I've got to convince myself that I didn't just waste a couple hours of my time or I'll have to dig for reasons as to why I liked a particular movie but whatever.

But I'll endure long stretches of mediocrity because I know there are movies like Straight Time out there. I know there are obscure and unheard of gems that for one reason or another have been forgotten.

This isn't to say Straight Time is a perfect movie. David Shire's hokey and dated score and a slow buildup work against it but this is easily one of Dustin Hoffman's best performances and the rest of the cast is nothing short of brilliant.

Once Hoffman's character makes his choice to go back to a life of crime after the first hour, the story just creeps and creeps on you and doesn't let up. Written by Eddie Bunker (Mr. Blue from Reservoir Dogs), who spent much of his life in prison, this movie also gives what I'm guessing is a pretty accurate and definitely gritty portrayal of an ex-con's life.

By the time it's over all you can do is as yourself why the hell you haven't seen it before or why Straight Time isn't as celebrated as it should be.