‘Deliverance’ Exacts Revenge on Man’s Entitlement to Nature
John Boorman’s 1972 adaptation is a technically exceptional backwoods nightmare.
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NOTE: For the month of October, I’ll be watching and reviewing classic horror movies that I somehow never made it around to seeing. Bring on your commentary in the comments — and happy Halloween!
It’s mid-October, which means everyone in my area is patiently waiting a little longer for the leaves in North Georgia to change color. Hundreds of us will make the trek up from the Atlanta area to one of a dozen-ish state parks for some hiking and biking— and possibly some camping.
I can vouch for how gorgeous it is up there — I’ve got relatives who live even further north, in and around Tennessee’s Copper Basin — but I couldn’t tell you a thing about how dangerous it can be. You know why?
I stay in my lane. I only visit places with existing trails, a decent amount of people around, a public help center, and plenty of clear directions for hiking, canoeing, and inner-tubing. I ask the locals plenty of questions. Their families have, more often than not, lived in that area for the better part of the past century; they are the natural historians of every hill and valley in the area, and they have no problem giving you the what for if you and your idea of the Great Outdoors seem a little overzealous.
Deliverance is the gnarly story of how a rash choice to head off the beaten path anyhow will almost certainly end with the path beating you.
Four city guys are getting away for the weekend, taking a canoeing trip down the biggest (and soon-to-be-dammed) river in Georgia. Lewis (Burt Reynolds), Ed (Jon Voight), Bobby (Ned Beatty), and Drew (Ronny Cox) have little experience between them, save for Lewis, whose over-confidence is both a comfort and an immediate red flag. They reach their destination and proceed to condescend to the locals before instructing them to drive their cars down to small town at which they’ll be…
