Deliverance: Burt Reynolds legendary turn in the southern gothic classic

Iconic actor Burt Reynolds passed away yesterday at the age of 82. At 1428 Elm, we decided to take a look back at one of his finest moments on film, Deliverance.

“The success of the film has everything to do with his performance.” – Jon Voight on Burt in Deliverance

I Went to the Woods

Burt Reynolds was the type of actor that you couldn’t help but like in every role he played. His affable nature, the way he took everything in stride made him a hero for men and a magnet for women.

In 1972, he starred in a picture which literally took his persona and turned it upside down. Based on poet James Dickey’s first novel, Deliverance is rough and deeply disturbing. A treatise on survival in nature and survival against the dark forces in men’s souls.

Reynolds plays Lewis, a savvy Atlanta businessman with a passion for the outdoors. Rather than spend a weekend with his buddies at some posh country club playing golf, he opts to take his crew on a trip down the Cahulawassee River in a remote part of Georgia.

The reason for the journey is to take one last run down the water before the valley is flooded by the dam and turned into a lake. While it sounds like an idyllic scenario it turns into something else entirely.

Lewis’ friends, Ed (Jon Voight), Bobby (Ned Beatty) and Drew (Ronny Cox) aren’t as experienced as he is in the wilderness but they are game for a good time. While in town, getting ready for their trip, they are definitely treated with disdain by most of the locals. It is evident in this small backwater burg, these “city folk” aren’t wanted.

One of the most famous scenes in the film occurs at this juncture. Drew spots a young boy who appears to be mentally challenged playing a banjo. He grabs his guitar and the two commence to do an impromptu jam session of the tune “Dueling Banjos.”

The River Wild

Deliverance – Woods Scene – Courtesy of Warner Brothers

Afterwards, some of the men take the group to a nearby town to drop them off with the promise that they will be back in three days to pick them up. So, the sojourn on the river wild begins.

If there is one thing that I have learned in my many years of watching movies, nothing good ever comes out of trips to woods, cabins or campgrounds. Something or someone is always lurking with bad intentions and in Deliverance this is also the case.

At first, everything is peaceful but when the men camp for the night, strange noises abound. Of course, Lewis being the fearless one goes into the darkness to investigate only to find nothing.

The next morning, Ed decides to get a little bowhunting in. After failing miserably at hitting a deer in his sights, he returns to camp. He and Bobby decide to get a jump on things while Drew and Lewis stay behind.

When Ed and Bobby pull over to wait for their friends they are surprised by two hillbillies who seemingly appear out of nowhere. You can immediately feel the tension in the air. Unnerved by their presence, Bobby mistakenly thinks that he and Ed have wandered into a moonshine operation.

Working under the false assumption that if he offers them money they will go away, the men become agitated and things quickly spiral downward. While Ed is tied to a tree and held at gunpoint, Bobby is asked to remove his pants and bend over a log.

Where the Body Is Buried

Deliverance- Body – Courtesy of Warner Brothers

What happens next has become cinematic lore but yet every time I watch it, I am still struck by the sheer brutality of the scene. It is raw and you can literally feel the fear in the air. While Bobby is being sodomized and told to “squeal like a pig,” Ed watches in horror knowing that there is nothing he can do to save his friend.

While this is going on, Lewis and Drew hear Bobby’s screams. Finished with their victim, the hillbillies turn their sights on Ed. They tell him he has a pretty mouth and you can see what is going to come next. However, their plans are thwarted because Lewis stealthily fires an arrow and hits Bobby’s rapist square in the back.

He drops dead and his compatriot hightails it into the woods. Left staring at a dead body, Lewis takes charge once again and level headedly makes the decision that they should it. Drew on the other hand feels that they should contact the police.

As the two men go back and forth, Bobby speaks up and agrees with Lewis. He doesn’t want to remember anything and would feel better putting the sordid event behind him. So, the men start burying the body. Drew is visibly stressed.

Once that task is completed, the four men jump in their canoes and head out. However, this leg of the journey to getting off of the river is also not going to end well.

Broken Canoes, Spirits and Bodies

Deliverance – Broken – Courtesy of Warner Brothers

Halfway down the water, a faint gunshot can be heard. Drew topples overboard. Since he wasn’t wearing his life jacket, his body is quickly washed down the river. As his friends try to go after him, Ed loses control of his canoe, crashes into Lewis’ and everyone goes in the drink.

Lewis smashes his leg against a rock causing a compound fracture in his femur. Obviously, now he is a sitting duck for what is more than likely the hillbilly that escaped. While Bobby looks after the injured Lewis, Ed decides to climb the cliff overlooking their resting spot to seek out their assassin.

Doing this under the cover of night, once he reaches the summit, he waits until daybreak. When the assailant emerges from the woods, Ed takes aim with his bow. When the two men look at one another, Ed freezes again.

However, he gets off a shot. In the process, he injures himself with one of his arrows. In the meantime, the redneck lunges toward him and collapses dead with an arrow through the back of his neck. Once again, it is time to think about body disposal.

Ed makes it down the cliff with the dead body. He and Bobby weigh the corpse down with rocks and toss it in the river. Transporting the injured Lewis to the surviving canoe, the three men start down the river again.

After navigating for a while, they come upon the body of Drew who is hideously contorted and broken. Bobby and Ed dispatch of his corpse the same way they did the hillbilly.

Final Destination

Deliverance – Final Destination – Courtesy of Warner Brothers

The men finally reach their destination. Lewis gets taken to the hospital while Ed and Bobby report what has happened to the Sheriff who is played by author James Dickey. Meanwhile, Ed is now the de facto leader so he and Bobby concoct a story and they visit Lewis to see that he is on the same page.

Of course, they get through the law enforcement investigation. The Sheriff has his doubts about what occurred but there will be no bodies and no witnesses due to the town being evacuated because it will be submerged by the river.

"Reluctantly, he lets the men go admonishing them, “Don’t ever do nothin’ like this again. Don’t ever come back up here. I don’t ever wanna see you or your friends again! I’d kinda like to see this town die peaceful.”"

As the Sun Sets

Burt Reynolds – Trans-Am – Courtesy of Universal Pictures,Rastar Pictures,Rastar Pictures

Even though this film is forty-six years old, it holds up. While this may not be traditional horror, what transpires is certainly disturbing and horrific. The darkness that lies in men’s souls can sometimes be more terrifying than a serial killer or masked demon.

John Boorman assembled a once-in-a-lifetime cast. James Dickey wrote one hell of a screenplay. I sincerely hope that Hollywood doesn’t attempt to reboot this classic because they won’t do it justice.

Burt Reynolds was one of the last class acts from a bygone era of glamor. A product of the “golden age” of the studio system, he was larger than life but yet down to earth. This is a combination that eludes most of the A-listers of today’s film industry.

Deliverance was his chance to showcase his acting skills and he did not disappoint. As a result, in 1973, the film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director awards.

Some fans will remember him as the rogue Bandit always outwitting Smokey at every turn. Others will reminisce about his Oscar nominated performance as the adult filmmaker, Jack Horner in Paul Thomas Anderson’s incredible ode to the porn industry, Boogie Nights.

I prefer to picture him in a Trans-Am riding off into the sunset. Thank you for years of entertainment, Mr. Reynolds. You will be missed.

What is your favorite Burt Reynolds film? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below. We want to hear from you.