Affliction

3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
A small town sheriff investigates the murder of a wealthy business man, an investigation that threatens his personal and professional life.
  • Starring: Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek
  • Directed by: Paul Schrader
  • Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes
  • Release year: 1998
  • Studio: Lionsgate
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Affliction

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Affliction
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Product Details
Synopsis: A small town sheriff investigates the murder of a wealthy business man, an investigation that threatens his personal and professional life.
Starring: Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek
Supporting actors: James Coburn, Willem Dafoe
Directed by: Paul Schrader
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes
Captions and Subtitles: English Details
Release year: 1998
Studio: Lionsgate
MPAA Rating: Rated R for violence and language
ASIN: B002ZBVM5Y
Rights & Requirements
Rental rights: 24 hour viewing period. Details
Purchase rights: Stream instantly and download to 2 locations. Details
Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)

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Theatrical Release Information
  • US Theatrical Release Date: December 30, 1998
  • MPAA: Rated R for violence and language
  • Production Company: JVC Entertainment Networks, Kingsgate Productions, Largo Entertainment
  • Filming Locations: Beloeil, Québec, Canada | Hudson, Québec, Canada | Montréal, Québec, Canada | Saint-Hilaire, Québec, Canada

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Customer Reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
(89)
3.8 out of 5 stars
See all 89 customer reviews
“ I highly recommend this film, as long as you understand what you're getting into by watching it. ” T. Steffes  |  11 reviewers made a similar statement
“ This movie was clearly shot in January and February. ” Jacob Becomes Israel  |  1 reviewer made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 34 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply Affected by the Deep "Affliction"..... June 2, 2003
By L. Shirley TOP 100 REVIEWER
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
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.... Read more ›
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18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Haunting Film January 3, 2004
By A Customer
Format:DVD
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.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Unrelieved bleakness August 30, 2010
By R. Swanson
Format:DVD
This is a well made film and I really wanted to like it. Nick Nolte is a favorite and he certainly delivers a powerfull, deeply human performance here. James Coburn is perfect as his truly odious abusive father. Nolte has a way of making his characters sympathetic even when they are doing horrible things. We can see from the opening scene, a Halloween party where he tries to amuse his daughter, that the guy is trying to do the right thing but that he's never going to make it. He has the "affliction" and nothing he does works out.

From this unhappy start things only get worse. That's the problem with the film--there's no contrast between light and dark, tragedy and happiness. No one grows, develops, changes. I'm not saying that every film has to have a happy ending but just watching someone go down and down before your eyes isn't worth watching. Yes, it makes the point---that abusive fathers breed flawed children--but this is hardly news.

Some good actors are wasted. Sissy Spacek didn't seem right for the part. I kept wondering what such a nice girl saw in this train wreck of a guy. Willem Dafoe, who has done a lot of good work, just seems creepy here and his role as the omnipotent teller of the tale doesn't quite work for me.

Nolte's rivetting performance kept me watching. Maybe that was the problem; he's such an innately likable guy that it was too horrible to see his character just go down the tubes. Like the Sissy Spacek character, I wanted to believe in him.

It's visually stunning but that's because most of it is shot in the snow and snow scenes are almost always gorgeous.

I give it three stars just for Nolte's performance. Don't expect to be inspired, uplifted, entertained or to learn anything.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Child Dressed as a Man November 24, 2002
By Jarrod P. Stenberg
Format:DVD
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....

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. Read more ›

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Well acted by all actors. .
However, I do not think the movie made it's point strong enough. Nick Nolte was very good sometimes and not so good other times. A little over acting by his father, I thought. Read more
Published 5 days ago by Jane Austen
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Thriller
This was a pleasant surprise and with Nolte also.
A good production for a good story. Nolte was very good in part. Good supporting cast.
Published 18 days ago by okiekid
4.0 out of 5 stars pretty good
The book was better but there were alot of different things that went on in the book but still worth watching!
Published 1 month ago by Hope
4.0 out of 5 stars Subject
Not the best acting but great subject and commend all who attempt to heal this scar on families. Our world has shifted some what away from this to no accountibility. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Tim Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars Great movie
Nick does one of his best performances. This movie has a depressing feel to me. Coburn rocks too. It has some good stars and was written well.
Published 1 month ago by Michael
5.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking
This deep character study is more than meets the eye. It is set up as a suspenseful tale but plays off more Shakespearean.
Published 2 months ago by Ben
1.0 out of 5 stars Slow, boring and depressing
Slow, boring and depressing. This is a movie to avoid unless you want to feel better about your own life by seeing just how bleak a life can be.
Published 2 months ago by S. Feild
4.0 out of 5 stars Depressing movie
This movie had good production, costumes sets, acting, & good selections made for the individual parts. Read more
Published 2 months ago by D. M. Smith
3.0 out of 5 stars Afflicition
This is one of Nolte's better early roles. A small town sheriff with an all-too-familiar troubled early childhood, a toothache and too many problems as an adult, it becomes too... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Cluch
4.0 out of 5 stars Harsh; great acting; dark story.
Seen the end of this on TV. Ordered this and enjoyed. Not a movie you'd watch often. The actors made the movie.
Published 3 months ago by Col. Stevens
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