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Deliverance poster

Deliverance

year 1972decade 70sdirector John Boormangenre Thriller / Adventure

109 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Jon Voight Ed Gentry
Burt Reynolds Lewis Medlock
Ned Beatty Bobby Trippe
Ronny Cox Drew Ballinger
Bill McKinney Mountain Man
Herbert "Cowboy" Coward Toothless Man
James Dickey Sheriff Bullard
Billy Redden Lonnie
Macon McCalman Deputy Queen

Deliverance | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Ryen Russilloproducer Craig Horlbeck theme One Word Movie Month
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Most Rewatchable Scene

Distinct choices: big canoe crash, cliff climb, and Dueling Banjos; assault discussed as iconic rather than selected.

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:23:08Read transcript
  • The category is reframed as memorable or iconic because the assault dominates the film’s reputation.
  • Dueling Banjos is praised as riveting and strange, compared with Butch and Sundance’s musical bicycle sequence.
  • The opening canoe run is nominated; Reynolds’s sleeveless wetsuit invites jokes about a modern tech-owner equivalent.
  • The assault’s long duration, circling attackers, face touch and focus on the restrained Ed sustain dread; Pulp Fiction is compared.
  • Separating the more vulnerable men enables the attack; Lewis’s distant appearance and rescue do not undo the trauma or guarantee triumph.
  • The canoe crash is praised; reported danger is debated rather than accepted uniformly.
  • Ed’s cliff climb, killing and rope disposal are nominated along with another harrowing canoe run.
  • Ed’s confrontation with the sheriff and final farewell to Bobby are nominated.
  • The big canoe crash, cliff climb and banjo sequence are separate final choices.

What’s Aged the Best?

Reynolds’s sleeveless wetsuit, the shifting hierarchy after his injury, character archetypes and canoeing’s ominous appeal hold up.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:39:42Read transcript
  • Reynolds’s sleeveless wetsuit, the shifting hierarchy after his injury, character archetypes and canoeing’s ominous appeal hold up.
  • The dead attacker’s convincing stillness over many scenes is praised.
  • Opening dialogue lays out the themes; the ambiguous deaths and need to believe Ed killed the right man invite revisiting.
  • Better planning is jokingly offered after the poor car arrangements and choice of landing bank.

Just One Oscar

The convincing dead attacker is explicitly floated for Just One Oscar; the response says the possibility was considered. This is a tentative suggestion, not a final award choice.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:41:21Read transcript
  • The convincing dead attacker is explicitly floated for Just One Oscar; the response says the possibility was considered. This is a tentative suggestion, not a final award choice.

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

Ed on the cliff and impaled by his own arrow is the choice; day-for-night photography gives an eerie appearance.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:45:10Read transcript
  • Ed on the cliff and impaled by his own arrow is the choice; day-for-night photography gives an eerie appearance.

The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

Confusion about car shuttling is resolved, leaving criticism of arriving without a transport plan and trusting insulted strangers.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:45:27Read transcript
  • Confusion about car shuttling is resolved, leaving criticism of arriving without a transport plan and trusting insulted strangers.
  • Drew is selected as the weak character, with his musical ability and collapse mocked.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Drew’s ambiguous fall is criticized as poorly motivated; a gunshot, nervous collapse or both are debated, with the book and director’s reported account distinguished.

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:47:30Read transcript
  • Drew’s ambiguous fall is criticized as poorly motivated; a gunshot, nervous collapse or both are debated, with the book and director’s reported account distinguished.
  • Voight’s resemblance to Angelina Jolie and Beatty’s teeth provoke objections and jokes.
  • The exposed femur effect is criticized for looking artificial and anatomically misplaced.
  • Ed’s inability to shoot the deer is called an obvious setup; falling on his own arrow seems contrived.
  • The teeth, hat and gun leave the identity of Ed’s victim disputed; one participant likes the moral uncertainty while another finds it cheap.

Is There a Better Title for This Movie?

Deliverance is retained; Date Night and Guys Trip are joking alternatives.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:54:51Read transcript
  • Date Night and Guys Trip are jokes; Deliverance is defended as ominous and enduring, with its escape-from-city-life meaning discussed.

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Deliverance is called secretly influential across wilderness and wrong-turn horror; Breakdown is cited and distinguished from U-Turn.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:56:46Read transcript
  • Deliverance is called secretly influential across wilderness and wrong-turn horror; Breakdown is cited and distinguished from the Sean Penn film mentioned alongside it.
  • The premise of a hostile local jury is questioned by asking whether the relatives would attend jury duty.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Ronny Cox is chosen with his later Beverly Hills Cop, RoboCop, Vision Quest and Total Recall visibility discussed.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:13Read transcript
  • Ronny Cox is chosen with his later Beverly Hills, RoboCop, Vision Quest and Total Recall visibility discussed.
  • James Dickey as the sheriff is another choice, compared with Fred Dalton Thompson.

Apex Mountain

Drunken fighting writers are considered, then Hemingway is favored over the Dickey era.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:10:40Read transcript
  • Drunken fighting writers are considered, then Hemingway is favored over the Dickey era.
  • The four actors are rejected; canoeing, banjos, disturbing assault, exposed femurs and sleeveless scuba vests are considered, with River Wild, Steve Martin and O Brother alternatives.

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

An all-Black cast is enthusiastically proposed; prestige TV is considered but the lack of a plausible third season undermines it.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:23:06Read transcript
  • An all-Black cast is enthusiastically proposed; prestige TV is considered but the lack of a plausible third season undermines it.

Is This Movie Better With…?

Wayne Jenkins fits as sheriff, Lewis or a Griner brother; impressions imagine arrest, driving the car and coping with the broken leg.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:07Read transcript
  • Wayne Jenkins fits as sheriff, Lewis or a Griner brother; impressions imagine arrest, driving the car and coping with the broken leg.

Just One Oscar

Burt Reynolds is one choice; Boorman is another for physically demanding direction, with The Longest Yard preferred as a Reynolds performance.

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:25:04Read transcript
  • Burt Reynolds is one choice; Boorman is another for physically demanding direction, with The Longest Yard preferred as a Reynolds performance.

Who Won the Movie?

Burt Reynolds wins; landscape praise is explicitly secondary.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:29:19Read transcript
  • Reynolds is selected for first-half star power and a second participant agrees.
  • Georgia’s landscapes are floated, then the speaker explicitly returns to Reynolds.
  • Before full stardom, Bert Reynolds could be taken out halfway through the movie by a broken leg; later he would want Lewis to win the day.
Podcast choices
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Burt Reynolds
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Burt Reynolds