Deliverance

John Boorman's harrowing adaptation of James Dickey's novel is as bracing and haunting now as it was when it first shook up audiences 35 years ago. Jon Voight stars as an urban family man whose weekend white-water canoe trip with three friends down an Appalachian river turns an escape to a lost paradise into an escape from a savage land. "You don't beat this river," warns trip leader Lewis (Burt Reynolds, in one of his career-best performances), a weekend warrior and tough-guy Thoreau who speaks a survivalist game. He winds up living a nightmare of his fantasy when they tangle with a pair of vicious mountain men. The film remains most famous for the "Dueling Banjos" music and the assault on Ned Beatty's character ("Squeal like a pig!"), but Boorman's interest is in the sense of mortality it reveals, both in their fight for survival and in their battle with their consciences in the aftermath. Ronny Cox is the fourth rafter, and Dickey has a cameo as the sheriff. The transfer is excellent except for a few brief night shots, which seem to enhance weaknesses in the original day-for-night process. Features articulate commentary by Boorman, who tells many of the same production stories that also come out in an excellent four-part original documentary that features new interviews with all four stars. Also includes the original archival featurette "The Dangerous World of Deliverance." Also available in HD DVD and Blu-ray formats.