Overlooked and underrated: Hoffman in ‘Straight Time’

STRAIGHT TIME (1978)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

Of all the films in which Dustin Hoffman has starred, the one that constantly surprises me is the little seen crime drama “Straight Time” from 1978.

Helmed by Ulu Grosbard, a Belgian-born theater and film director, and based on the book “No Beast So Fierce” by ex-convict Edward Bunker, “Straight Time” gives us one of Hoffman’s most controlled, nuanced performances.

The story is simple: Hoffman plays Max Dembo, who at the start of the film is released from prison on parole. He vows to go straight, but finds himself ever-so-slowly unable to cope with his freedom, unable to hold a job and unable to avoid one more robbery.

This is a blistering, fascinating character study. Hoffman goes deep inside Dembo, showing us a quiet range that highlights his character’s confusion and frustration – both from dealing with a power-hungry, despicable parole officer and struggling with the lure of one more score.

Highlighting the story is a brilliantly filmed robbery – one staged with incredible skill by Grosbard and one that no doubt influenced later crime films, particularly Michael Mann’s “Heat.”

Not surprisingly, Mann (who went on himself to write and direct such films as “Thief,” “The Insider” and “Public Enemies”) was an uncredited contributor to the screenplay of “Straight Time.”

Dustin Hoffman in

‘Straight Time’

Hoffman isn’t the only actor of note in this lost American classic. Theresa Russell gives a nice, tender performance as Dembo’s girlfriend and the great character actor M. Emmet Walsh is appropriately smarmy as parole officer Earl Frank.

David Shire, who wrote one of the best crime film scores for the original 1975 version of “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” (not the recent, tepid remake) did another remarkable job on the music for “Straight Time.”

Grosbard directed a total of seven films, including “True Confessions” in 1981, “Falling in Love” in 1984 and, most recently, “The Deep End of the Ocean” with Michelle Pfeiffer in 1999. But, in my opinion, he never directed a better film in his motion picture career than “Straight Time.”

Hoffman originally planned to direct “Straight Time” himself, but changed his mind and hired Grosbard. That proved a great decision because it’s highly unlikely Hoffman would have had time to focus on his performance as well as the rest of the film.

Unfortunately, Warner Brothers and Hoffman feuded over the final version. Warners unceremoniously dumped the movie into theaters, burying it and ensuring it didn’t do well at the box office. “Straight Time,” one of 1978’s best films, unfortunately disappeared from the big screen all-too-quickly.

You can find “Straight Time” for purchase on DVD if you look hard or browse Amazon.com. I streamed the film in high-definition video on my big-screen television through Netflix. It will be available to stream on Netflix through Jan. 1, 2012. The film is rated R for violence and profanity. 

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