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IMDb > Straight Time (1978)
Straight Time
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Straight Time (1978) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   1,887 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 27% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Jeffrey Boam (writer)
Edward Bunker (novel)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Straight Time on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
21 July 1978 (Denmark) more
Genre:
Tagline:
"Please God, don't let him get caught." more
Plot:
After being released on parole, a burglar attempts to go straight, get a regular job, and just go by the rules... more | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
User Comments:
Great acting more (40 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Dustin Hoffman ... Max Dembo

Theresa Russell ... Jenny Mercer

Gary Busey ... Willy Darin

Harry Dean Stanton ... Jerry Schue

M. Emmet Walsh ... Earl Frank
Rita Taggart ... Carol Schue

Kathy Bates ... Selma Darin
Sandy Baron ... Manny

Jake Busey ... Henry Darin (as Jacob Busey)
Tina Menard ... Hotel Manager
Stephanie Ericson-Baron ... Bar Patron
Dave Kelly ... Counterman
Don Sommese ... Waiter
Kit Jee Wong ... Grocer

Peter Kwong ... Grocery Clerk
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Additional Details

Runtime:
114 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
A pet project for Dustin Hoffman, he was originally due to direct himself. Denied final cut by the studio, he ended up suing Warner Brothers over their treatment of the film. more
Goofs:
Continuity: There's a mark on the inside of Max's motel room door in one scene, then the next scene there is no mark (this is because, according to the commentary, they redid the motel room in a studio for night shots). more
Movie Connections:
References The Wiz (1978) more
Soundtrack:
Hand Me Down My Walkin' Cane more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful.
Great acting, 23 May 2005
Author: bgbacardi from Austin, TX

"Straight Time," hoisted high by a brilliant and dexterous performance by Dustin Hoffman, pulls off a very unusual trick: It's one of the only movies in memory where a character we fully identify with turns out to not be such a good guy - and stays that way. "Straight Time" begins on Max's (Hoffman) side and shows us what appears to be a handsome, wounded soul suffering at the hands of an injustice legal system. But Max turns out to be no angel, and yet through the very end, we care about his fortunes and want things to work out for him. It's a brave and gritty role, and Hoffman, on screen the entire film, embodies it. Compare "Straight Time" to "Monster," and see that Lee Wuornos and Max Deblor are cousins. Both characters are labyrinthine in their depth, and both actors find the perfect pitch.

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more (40 total)

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