Delayed Reaction: Deliverance

The Pitch: You know what would make canoeing more exciting? Hillbilly rape and banjos.

Dueling banjos and "Squeal like a pig". What more do you need? This is a film more remembered for its moments than the final product. There's a reason for that. Those are iconic elements. Dueling banjos is just plain catchy and the use of it is perfect for establishing the setting. "Squeal like a pig", well, that's just twisted. That scene is boundary pushing if made today. 40 years ago, that's enough to be a phenomenon. The movie as a whole is pretty solid though. Between The River Wild and Mean Creek, I've seen enough of the sub-genre over the last year or two, but this is the best of them. Burt Reynolds is at his peak machismo in what I believe was a star-turn performance, and Jon Voight gives things a bit more complexity. It's a much smaller movie than I expected and that works in its favor. Seriously, is a "low budget action movie with A-list actors" even a thing?

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend