Customer Reviews

Affliction

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3 star:		(10)
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This review refers to the May 2003 release of Lion's Gate DVD edition of "Affliction".....

1998 was a year when World War II films and English period pieces took center stage. But amidst those wonderful films,there was also "Affliction". An excellent film and brillant character study that may leave you thinking about it for days afterwards. A superb piece of filmamking. Artful direction and a beautiful screenplay by Paul Schrader(who also wrote the screenplays for "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull"), skillfully filmed by Paul Sarossy, and exquiste acting by a cast that includes, Nick Nolte, James Coburn, Sissy Spacek and Willem Dafoe make for one deep and moving drama.

Dafoe captivatingly narrates this story of Wade Whitehouse(Nolte). A small town cop,whose past has a grip on him and won't let go. Wade who was raised by an alcoholic and abusive father(Coburn), now seems to be losing his own grip on reality as he tries to juggle his own dysfunctional life. He is in the midst of an investigation of an "accidental" hunting accident, he is trying (unsuccessfully) to mend his relationship with his young daughter, and trying to make some sort of life with his new girlfriend(Spacek). His past and his present come crashing down around him, as he examines his life and the bad memories are flooding back to him. Wade must try to break this cycle or live his life burdened with the chains of the past.

Nolte turns in what may be the performance of his career and was honored by the Nat'l Society of Film Crtics, and The New York Film Critic's Circle Awards for Best Actor in his role. Coburn is also superb and recieved an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the abusive father. I highly recommend this film to anyone who appreciates fine filmaking and an excellent drama.

This Lion's Gate DVD is an excellent transfer. The picture is sharp and clear and the colors vibrant. The sound is in Dolby Digital Stereo and is great for this film of almost all dialouge.
There are no bonus features, but it has subtitles in both English and Spanish and if you click on to the Lion's Gate logo in the main menu you will find some trailers as well.

A not to be missed film for lovers of great cinema. Thanks and enjoy...Laurie

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Based on a novel by Russell Banks who also wrote "The Sweet Hereafter", and directed by Paul Schrader of "Raging Bull" and "The Mosquito Coast" fame, the winter landscape and cold bleakness of the town sets the tone for this exploration of the dark legacy of what it is to be a man.

Nick Nolte stars in this dark story of a the lone policeman in a small New Hampshire town investigating a hunting accident. He is divorced and trying and to get custody of his young daughter who rejects his fumbling efforts to be nice to her. James Coburn is excellent as Nick Nolte's father, a brutal and angry old man who typifies a sick machismo which has in turn afflicted his son. His acting is extraordinary as is Nolte's although their styles are different. Noltle is subtle; his facial expressions are controlled and typical of a man who has learned to hold in emotion. Coburn's face, on the other hand, is more deeply expressive; his eyebrows move, his mouth hardens, his eyes glare.

This is the kind of dark, brooding movie that I like. For a brief few hours I enter its world and get completely absorbed in the characters in the way I did with "A thousand Acres" or "The Horse Whisperers". Like these films, there are no easy answers and the conclusion does not wrap up in a neat little Hollywood package that is soon forgotten. Recommended.

I saw this movie several years ago and it has stayed with me ever since. Whenever I think about the truly great films I've seen, and would like to see again, this one always makes the list as great, but I have avoided watching it again because, depending upon your childhood, it is extremely disturbing. Beware anyone who has experienced life with an abusive parent, you will see the fear and despair come to life before your eyes. James Coburn and Nick Nolte portray this type of hellish relationship with stunning realism. I have read reviews from those who, apparently, couldn't really believe that parents and children could have such a relationship. Not so, friends. This is a scathing, searing, film -- with no bullets or exploding cars. You have been warned.

Paul Schrader wrote and directed this engrossing drama of one man's self-destruction. Nick Nolte plays Wade Whitehouse, the small-town sheriff who is simultaneously the employee of the town's leading contractor. Whitehouse is basically an ignorant man, proud and tough on the outside, but still hurting from the abuse he suffered as a child from his father (James Coburn in a superbly vicious performance that won him an Oscar). The film covers the events that occur to Whitehouse during a couple of weeks in late October and November, when his life collapses around him. Nolte gives an excellent performance as the self-destructive man, persuasively playing his need to express himself and the consequences of his inability to do so. When the film centers around his relationships with his ex-wife, daughter, father, and girl-friend (Sissy Spacek, in a nice understated performance), the film scores a bulls-eye; Nolte's inability to communicate and his mounting frustration and anger are almost palpable. When it drifts into a story about the possible murder of a wealthy, mob-connected hunter and Nolte's investigation, the film becomes increasingly incoherent. It's also not helped by the dour presence and voice-over of Willem Dafoe as Nolte's brother, another victim of the family's cycle of violence. The key scene in which Dafoe--supposedly the smart one of the family--spurs on Nolte's paranoia with suggestions that the dead hunter was murdered by Nolte's friend and co-worker is a particular mess, and the final voice-over in which Dafoe laments the cost of the generations of violence needlessly spells out what we've already learned. There's another unfortunate scene in which Nolte's born-again sister attends a family funeral: why is it that so many religious characters on screen have to be such fools? Can't some religious people just connect with those around them, be supportive, caring, and intelligible? The film's technical credits are strong, particularly the cinematography and art direction which re-create the bleak yet stunning winter countryside of New Hampshire (thanks to Canada).

This is a truly great movie. What is going to make people either love or hate it is that it is unflinchingly real. This one EXUDES realism. It's for those of us who don't love life and aren't really happy about our present situation. It's for anyone who has ever been humiliated, frustrated and ready to lash out at the miserable world. It's bleak-just like life. Nolte and Coburn have never been and probably never will be better. The writing is superb. There are so many lines that ring true. If your favorite song is "Don't Worry, Be Happy" then you might want to skip this one. For everyone else, I suggest that you savor this classic immediately.

The movie starts with Wade Whitehouse bringing his daughter to a small town Halloween party. The distance between the two is apparent and about to get worse. They arrive, daughter dressed as a tiger, Wade dressed as a cop. He is a child dressed as a man. The daughter is out of place and unhappy, making this known to Wade. Facing a challenge that is beyond him, he steps outside where he is pulled into the life of some younger people, driving around town, getting stoned and being generally small-town.

Why does Wade shy away from being a man? Because his definition of a man is his father, an abusive and alcoholic ogre. Wade has found peace in being a parody of an adult. He can hang with kids just shy of high school because he has not permitted himself to grow any older than just-short-of-manhood. He is pathetic, but he is also very amiable. He could live his whole life this way. That is, he could if he hadn't already committed to fatherhood and if the new love of his life didn't expect a bit more.

His new love, Marge, is a small town woman through and through. Perhaps she has been passed around a bit, but she has a good heart. She seems barely content with drifting through life, staying just short of ambitious. Perhaps she'll marry her bear-cub boyfriend Wade and have a family while she can. Perhaps not. She is smarter than Wade, but he is fun and harmless, it seems.

Wade's brother, Rolfe, is the kid who managed to avoid the blows of his father. He is the smart one. Smart enough to stay far enough away from his father, smart enough to distract himself from the ruins of abuse with intellectual pursuits. His intelligence bought him a way out. He is committed only to himself.

Exposing his own aggression, Rolfe plants seeds in Wade that will soon be Wade's undoing. To Rolfe, it's all a bit fun. When he's back in his home-town, he returns to a role. He and Wade are kids up to no good. They are sleuths, unlocking the truth of the grown-ups. There is no risk to Rolfe since his brother has and will be the shield.

Wade's role is stressed in a series of events. He has been powerless in keeping his family together. His ex-wife outgrew him and has moved on. He is powerless against even the will of his daughter. He has not seemed to even notice that she is not 6 anymore, and that she has begun to recognize his shortcomings. All this, he must change.

He had been handed the role of a cop, not for merit, but for obedience to the town's owners. This must change.

His father has become incompetent and might have even let his mother die from exposure. Wade becomes the head of the household and thus launches his new interest in a commanding role. But a commanding role requires a man. For Wade, a man is a monster. Needless to say, it doesn't go well for Wade and all who surround him.

If I were pressed to describe Affliction in one word, I think that word would be "difficult." Now, don't get me wrong, the film is a compelling, well-made portrait of man's descent into madness, but the tone and subject matter are designed to disturb, and that's exactly what they do.

Nick Nolte stars as Wade Whitehouse, the only policeman in the kind of small New Hampshire town where a lone policeman has enough time on his hands to also act as a school crossing guard and plow the snow off the streets. A hunting accident leaves a rich man visiting town dead, but the man who was with him - Wade's best friend Jack - didn't see it happen, so he assumes that the man accidentally shot himself. Wade thinks there is more to it than that, and that Jack may have killed him for money.

As Wade continues to think about the crime, he gradually loses more and more touch with reality. It doesn't help that since his mother's death, he's been spending more time with the abusive father (James Coburn in a brilliant performance) who has had more influence on him than he'd like to think. Wade never even sees it coming that he's turning into his old man. As Wade's delusion increases, his relationships with his daughter and his girlfriend (Sissy Spacek) deteriorate.

Nolte delivers powerfully in the lead role. It's a terribly difficult part to pull off, but he plays it with the exact amount of nuance that few actors can deliver. He makes us truly feel for Wade, especially during the scenes with his daughter, where he's just trying to be a good father, but he has no blueprint for good fatherhood because his own was so awful.

James Coburn plays the constantly-drunk father who has no need for anybody or anything except himself and his alcohol. The first time we meet the distant old man in the present day, he doesn't even need heat in his house - even if it kills his wife. Only as we learn more about the father do we learn more about Wade's affliction.

There is what I feel is unnecessary narration at a few points throughout the film. This is done by Willem Dafoe as Wade's brother Rolfe. Despite this, I know that this is what critics would describe as a "good" film, but I feel I can only recommend it to those who would like to trek into highly unconventional territory - the kind that digs under your skin and leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

I don't see Nick Nolte movies. He does not do much for me, but he was so convincing in this role that it was scary. I got the uncomfortable feeling that I was evesdropping into someone's personal life. In this case, we are privy to Nolte's frustrations and disintegration. One aspect that was covered very well was Nolte's inability to take action and stand up for himself. He's a big and frustrated guy who knows that he falls over too easily and he hates that about himself. You won't see this kind of stuff in movies and I doubt you will ever see it executed as well as this.

Excellent idea, nolte, coburn, and spacek carry this movie through a somewhat chaotic script. Different, deep and thought provoking, unlike most mindless dribble comeing out of hollywood.

This is perhaps Nick Nolte's best acting performance ever. James Coburn is chilling as Nolte's father. I kept pulling for Nolte's character, Wade the sheriff, to turn his life around, but it never happened. There were indications he was getting better then he would take a dive. Two steps forward but three steps back many times and it was hard to watch the disintegtration of Wade. His father was not very effective in helping him deal with tough life challenges. The ending is shocking and very sad. It's not a film for the weak of heart. It's a tear jerker.