DVD Review: Straight Time

By Adnan Tezer May 30, 2007, 14:14 GMT

A paroled burglar tries to get a job and keep on the straight-and-narrow. His hard-core parole officer has different ideas and sends him back to jail. When he gets out again, he goes after the parole officer, steals his car and returns to a life of crime. ...more

After what seems like an eternity, I can finally put my charred, warped VHS copy to rest and feast on Warner Brother’s beautiful widescreen, crisp transfer of this classic 70s film.

Many of you have probably never heard of this film.  One of the 1970s true lost masterpieces, Straight Time, despite having one of the top actors of the decade (Dustin Hoffman) starring in it was poorly marketed by Warner Brothers and died a quick death in theaters without so much as a whimper in 1978. So upset was Hoffman, that he actually sued Warner Brothers for what he construed as the mishandling of the picture. After watching the film, you’ll understand his anger.

Straight Time contains what might ARGUABLY be Hoffman’s greatest work. Hoffman’s Max Dembo can be thrown in with his finest character work including Benjamin Braddock, Ratzo Rizzo, Lenny Bruce, Ted Kramer, Michael Dorsey and Raymond Babbitt. 

Max Dembo (Hoffman), a career criminal, is paroled and released from Folsom Maximum Security Prison in California. He goes to Los Angeles. At the beginning, he genuinely and painfully tries to lead a straight and narrow life and conform with the rules and restrictions of his parole. Unfortunately, his parole officer Earl Frank (M. Emmet Walsh) is PRECISELY the type of human Max can’t deal with. Frank is the epitome of American bureaucratic evil. He pretends to be sympathetic hiding behind a sadistic smile and condescending tone but inside he is a cruel racist who loves wielding the power he has over his parolees.

Frank is, however, willing to budge on one point of his parole; if Max can find a job and a place to live by the end of the week, he will not require him to live at a halfway house.  Max is successful at both and in the process meets a beautiful, innocent girl Jenny Mercer (Theresa Russell) who works at the employment office where Max finds a lead for a job. They slowly begin a relationship. Meanwhile, Max reconnects with one of his old criminal buddies, the loyal but cowardly and weak Willy Darin (Gary Busey).

Willy genuinely loves Max like a brother and welcomes him into his home with open arms. Willy’s wife Thelma (a young Kathy Bates) however is blunt and honest with Max. She does NOT want him around her husband for fear of negatively influencing him back into a life of crime. At the time, it is the furthest thing from Max’s mind; he just wants to be part of a family and loved, something that is mentioned frequently throughout that Max has never had. Willy doesn’t need any help from Max as far as bad influences go. Willy is a heroin addict and carelessly fixes up in Max’s room at a fleabag hotel.

Frank pays him an unexpected visit and finds evidence that clearly suggests someone shot up in the room. Even though it wasn’t Max and we know that, Frank STILL arrests him and makes him go through the humiliating and degrading process of being booked and processed into L.A. County Jail. From this point on, everything shifts. Max reverts to his true calling and after being released by Frank a few days later, takes his revenge on Frank, breaks his parole and goes right back to crime.

He reconnects with Jenny and his honest about what is going on and the danger that she is risking by letting him stay with her. She says she’s willing to take her chances. Max gets back involved with the criminal underworld and starts pulling off robberies “scores” some by himself, some with his trusted friend Jerry Schue (Harry Dean Stanton).

Straight Time set the tone for future crime classics that explore the minds of criminals, particularly Michael Mann’s crime classics like Thief and Heat. What sets Straight Time apart from just about every other crime film before or after it is the honesty and detail it pays to the subject matter. It is bleak, hopeless and relentlessly grim. None of the characters you are presented with here are portrayed in a romantic or heroic way that will make you easily empathize with them or understand them. There is no glamour present for these criminals. They don’t live in mansions, wear Armani suits and drive Porsches. All of the criminals in the film, especially Dembo, are unapologetic about what they do and seem to embrace their inevitable fate. Starting to wonder why a gritty, almost documentary like film about criminality as a lifestyle and job not to mention the angry obsessive compulsion about a criminal mind wasn’t well-received by audiences and was yanked out of theaters after just TWO weeks in release? 

Most Hollywood films prior to 1978 and especially after involving crime and those who perpetuate it, almost always involved endings where you are literally beaten over the head with “A LESSON TO BE LEARNED”, the central figure has a catharsis and seeks redemption, or the central figure is either captured and or killed in the final reel. They also usually involve a heavy amount of psychological background that may or may not help you understand or even “like” these criminals. Straight Time follows none of these conventions. There is very little explanation, psychological or otherwise, to explain why the characters do what they do. No excuses or justifications are made. The characters are what they are and willingly know and accept the consequences. 

This could very well describe the American New Wave films of the 70s, precisely the reason why it will be the greatest decade ever for American cinema. This was a time in Hollywood where filmmakers dared to make films without heroes, without romance, broke taboos of language, sexuality and behavior and dared to end them unhappily. These were films that were CHARACTER rather than PLOT driven. Straight Time IS the epitome of this mentality.   The film and Dembo speeds full ahead to a shattering, self-destructive end that while uncomfortable to watch, is impossible to turn away from.  Dembo is intelligent enough to know what is coming because deep down inside, he wants to get caught and go back to prison. 

You spot signs of it early on but then it becomes more obvious with each score he pulls. He lingers, he spends too much time in the bank, too much time in the jewelry store; he can never follow the time clock that is preset so as to get out before the cops show up.  That is one of the most fascinating aspects of this character. He seems to be enjoying his crime, almost showing off as an ultimate “fuck you” to a society that rejected him despite his best intentions while at the same time wanting to be punished and sent back to jail. 

Many will not respond to the film. It is definitely a film that is not meant for everyone as was evidenced when it was basically dumped into theaters in 1978.  You will probably have trouble relating to or understanding anyone here. Some may say, “Why does the Theresa Russell character stick with this loser? Why is she so attracted to him and nurturing? Why is she such a masochist?” Maybe you don’t understand why Dembo can’t control his obsessive-compulsive anger and exacts revenge on Frank when he has Jenny and something to live for?

Others won’t understand why Max’s friend Jerry, who despite being an ex-con has on the surface, achieved the perfect straight life. He has a house in Burbank, a pool, a patio, a wife, a business, etc. Yet, the first moment he gets Max alone he tells him “Get me outta here. I can’t make this scene anymore.” He doesn’t care WHAT it is Max has planned for a score; he just wants to do it, preferably with a shotgun. Why would he throw it away, you ask? You almost certainly won’t understand Max Dembo, the character through which we see and hear everything. You certainly don’t like him at the end of the film. He is by definition a sociopath. You see him do horrific, unspeakable things. Yet, you STILL feel sorry for him and what his inevitable fate will be. And that is precisely because he DOES try so hard to adjust to society after getting out.

He does all he can but STILL ends up back in prison for basically no fault of his own. He is shut out by society and thus falls into recidivism. He knows nothing else. The straight life got him nowhere so what else is there for him to do but go back to scoring? That’s the only thing that makes him feel safe and secure. At one point, you see him break through a wall to steal a shotgun from a pawn shop and literally coo to himself like a happy baby after he snatches it from the wall and holds it powerfully in his hands. That speaks volumes as to who this man is.

All he really wants, as he points out to Frank at the beginning of the film, is “I just want to be like everybody else. I want a decent job, I want a decent place to live, I want somebody to love me, I want clothes on my back and have some self-respect.” Seems simple, but when you’ve been institutionalized for the VAST MAJORITY of your life, it is almost impossible to “be like everybody else.” Straight Time expresses this reality clearly and most painfully.  That’s what makes you empathize with him.

You cannot judge these characters like you would in a film made today. That is because you, the audience, were so respected by the real actors, writers and directors of the time that they wanted to present you with characters without pre-packaged lives that are spelled out for you. That would allow you the luxury of USING YOUR BRAIN and THINKING about what is behind these people rather than being TOLD what they are and how you should feel like INFANTS. Sorry to break it to you ladies and gents, but the majority of films made today are made because you are considered to be a bunch of stupid primates with little to no attention span and absolutely NO DESIRE to use your imagination or brain AT ALL.

While Hoffman is the central figure and dominates the screen, his supporting cast magnificently pulls their weight. Russell, Busey, Stanton and Walsh all create unforgettable characters that you may or may not like but you’ll feel strongly about them one way or another when the film ends. Hoffman is simply astounding as Max Dembo. Like most classic screen performances, his best moments are without dialogue but simply looking into his angry, confused, scared psyche through his eyes and gestures. It is because of these quiet moments when you really see into this man’s mind, that you are able to generate any kind of sympathy at all. He is essentially a scared, lonely child who desperately wants a better life but is denied it by an unforgiving institutional and legal authority.

It really does remind one of his Ratzo Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy only less sympathetic. At the end, you may detest Dembo and what he has done not just to himself but also to other innocents including his girlfriend.  But to Hoffman’s credit, he is able to make a most unlikable, unsympathetic character into one you truly feel pity for and that will haunt you the rest of your life. This is acting at its highest which is to say that you never “see” anyone acting. They are simply playing out their characters and compulsions honestly and without judgment.  Credit must also go to composer David Shire whose sad, brooding score is not overused but is effective when used. Many of the most powerful scenes in the film have NO background music, which only adds to the intensity.

The extras, which include the theatrical trailer, also include the long-awaited release of the 23-minute documentary “He Wrote it for Criminals” which was shot during the making of the film but never released.  It focuses on Edward Bunker, the real-life career felon/convict who took to writing in prison and wrote the novel No Beast So Fierce. Hoffman had read the book and immediately optioned it to be made into a film. The documentary features interviews with Bunker while still in prison, Hoffman, Stanton and director Ulu Grosbard on set and author Joseph Wambaugh. If you are at all interested in the subject matter, this is perfect to watch after viewing the film. Bunker, unlike his fictional Max Dembo, had a much better outcome and indeed was successful at straight life.

Straight Time introduced him to Hollywood where he would enjoy a successful writing career as well as small acting parts here and there. He actually has a small cameo in Straight Time as one of Max’s criminal buddies he hooks back up with after he has gone back to crime. His No Beast So Fierce would have a lasting effect on crime films. He based the screenplay for Runaway Train, which he co-wrote, on it and had a bit part as a convict in it. If anyone remembers, he was also the little-seen Mr. Blue in Reservoir Dogs.  Another one of Bunker’s novels Animal Factory was turned into a film in 2000 with Steve Buscemi directing and Bunker adapting the screenplay. He would also serve as a technical consultant on Heat and Michael Mann made his No Beast So Fierce required reading for DeNiro and his crew. Sadly, Bunker passed away 2 years ago due to diabetes.  He is at the forefront of the documentary and gives you an excellent insight into the man and his troubled past.

The other extra is a highly enjoyable commentary with Hoffman and director Ulu Grosbard. They were recorded separately and one wonders if the difficulties during the shoot between the two necessitated it. Both men are bluntly honest about the difficulties involved from Hoffman wanting to initially direct to the head of Warner Brothers telling Hoffman that no one would want to see the film. Hoffman had hand picked Grosbard to direct after he knew that he couldn’t. This was based on their previous friendship that dated back to Broadway.

In fact Grosbard had actually given Hoffman No Beast So Fierce years back so it was fitting that he would be a part of the filming. There are numerous stories the men relate, many having to do with Edward Bunker and the extensive research Hoffman did for the part which included spending vast amounts of time with Bunker, other convicts, and even smuggling himself inside San Quentin Prison for a day in order to hang out with the convicts.

Hoffman’s droning voice throughout the commentary may be somewhat disorienting at first but it is quite clear that he holds this film in high regard despite its commercial failure.  I can’t recall another commentary the man has done for any other of his 70s films. Neither shy away from the conflicts they had during filming, Grosbard forbade Hoffman into the editing room, and Hoffman admits that this was the lowest point of his life personally. He speaks of the divorce he was going through as well as experimenting with drugs at that period of his life. He admits that he was not easy to work with and that combined with the long hours, little sleep and intensity of the work led to him having a physical breakdown that halted shooting for a week.  This would be an excellent example of how a good commentary by willing participants can be akin to a mini film school lesson. It’s that informative. 

The ONLY complaint I have would be the cover art for the DVD case, which is also on the DVD itself. It shows Hoffman early on in the film as he is searching for a job. For some stupid reason, Warners felt it needed to photoshop a gun in his jacket that can be clearly seen. I presume it was to make the film seem more violent than it is. Needless to say when you watch the scene at the beginning there is no gun in his jacket.  That pisses me off to say the least but that is literally the ONLY flaw I found with the presentation.

In a sense, it is still a miracle that Hoffman was ever able to get the film made at all. The late 70s were starting to show cracks in the “director as king” theory that permeated the decade and with each non-commercial flop there was, there seemed to be a Star Wars or a Jaws that made studio executives see dollar signs and amusement park rides instead of true art. Straight Time would be one of the very last films that would be made simply because of a star’s desire (Hoffman) to get the material made no matter the lack of commerciality.
 
Straight Time, after nearly 30 years, has lost none of its impact and still remains the most authentic, realistic portrayal of a criminal ever put on screen. It ranks along side the best of the less popular/heralded 70s films that portrayed working class people or people outside the boundaries of contemporary society (i.e. criminals) in a gritty, raw and uncompromising way that had never been seen before or since including Paul Schrader’s Blue Collar, Arthur Penn’s Night Moves and Jerry Schatzberg’s Scarecrow.  Here’s hoping now that Straight Time is on DVD and available to a larger audience, that this masterpiece will be discovered by a new group of fans.  This is as raw and unsettling a film as you are likely to ever see.  You may never want to see it again but YOU MUST watch it once.

Straight Time is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.