Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

Suman Roberson It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

joyce79djh The cycle of abuse is relentless -unless you remove yourself from this horrific situation -this film is a must for all men to see & wonder -am I like that? The performances are superb by Sissy Spacek & Nick Nolte-completely underrated actor

urbanlegend23 The main thing that pushed me to finally watch "Affliction" was to check out the Oscar-winning performance by James Coburn. Correct me if I'm wrong, but at the time, this legendary actor scooping up Best Supporting Actor over more the more heavily favored Ed Harris ("The Truman Show") was something of a surprise. Personally, I would've still selected Harris on that ballot, but there can be no doubt that Coburn's skin-crawling turn as an alcoholic, abusive father is also deserving of recognition. He makes this character – who could've been an absolute cartoon – feel completely three-dimensional, and shares a palpable familial chemistry with on-screen son Nick Nolte (also excellent). Coburn's imposing and unpredictable presence ensures the film is infinitely more interesting every time he appears on screen.Director Paul Schrader establishes a believable small town atmosphere in the film's first hour. The snow-coated, winter setting adds an atmosphere of detachment and bleakness entirely fitting to the journey of the main character.However, I'd be lying if I didn't say I found "Affliction" to be an overly slow-paced film, lacking in narrative drive. Even the 'murder mystery' aspect (along with it's "is-that-it?" resolution) does not do much for the plot. There is also heavy-handed and unnecessary voice-over narration. Bizarrely it is delivered by Willem Dafoe, who doesn't show up in the film for quite some time, and when he does, doesn't leave much of an impression. It would've been better to omit the narration altogether.I wouldn't entirely dissuade audiences from checking out "Affliction" – but it is likely to frustrate the mainstream audience expecting more of a murder-mystery thriller. Schrader has opted instead for an introspective character piece, which is certainly going to satisfy some (including, as it happened, the critics, who lavished praise upon this film), but frankly it is going to flat-out bore many viewers.

jeff-90 I read the novel a couple weeks ago and thought it was a masterpiece, couldn't put it down. The character of Wade Whitehouse and how he progressed from childhood to his 40s was masterfully related. So I just got the movie on Netflix. Ugh. The movie is SO rushed, with almost no back story whatsoever, that there is no logic behind how anyone acts. Nothing about his youth and how his high school sweetheart and he supported each other through their family issues, nothing about the 2 older brothers who died in the war, totally sugar coated the violent father (one smack in one flashback!), cut major plot points altogether. Basically where everything flowed and you could understand how he got to a point and you felt bad for him in the book, the movie he just seems nutty.Read the book, it is a rewarding, haunting experience that will stay with you. The movie is good actors trying their best but it is a mere shell of the source material.

jdkraus "Affliction." Defined as a state of pain, distress, and misery. One word and yet it means a lot. It also makes a catchy movie title, enough for me to check it out. The film focuses on two different unrelated stories about murder conspiracy and family abuse, seen through the eyes of a small town cop named Wade Whitehorse (Nick Nolte). While the film favors more of the later story than the former, it makes a mildly interesting character study of the movie's protagonist Wade. He is a very imperfect being. He drinks, he smokes, he is estranged from his ex-wife and distant daughter, all the while plagued by harsh memories of his alcoholic father (James Coburn). As the stories progress, they converge and overwhelm Wade as he desperately fights against both and makes some decisions that could harm his life as well as his loving girlfriend (Sissy Spacek). In the end, it comes down to whether his past afflictions from his dad will turn him into a wicked individual. The apple does not fall far from the tree they say.No doubt director and writer Paul Schrader is heavily inspired by old film noir. The movie itself feels like such a genre-a character trapped within himself and from the world, unable to escape, aided with a melancholy score and obtuse camera angles that make the world seem like an inescapable void. The story itself is good noir, but it unfortunately drags. Some scenes go on longer than necessary and when things turn even more interesting, the movie abruptly ends. However, it makes up for with a great cast, particularly with Dafoe as the younger brother and James Coburn as the father. Coburn won an academy award for his performance, and it is not surprising. It is a very good role. He has a very strong dominating presence on screen that dwarfs Nolte, as it would with a cantankerous father with his sensitive son. Nolte is decent; his Neanderthal movements, gruff grumblings, and occasional tirades work well for him in this movie. Though I do think his Oscar nomination was a bit of an overkill. At times, it seemed that he was just being himself whereas Coburn immersed himself with his character. Dafoe on the other hand is very subtle and does a fine job.Affliction overall is a good movie. Don't expect yourself to feel good after watching it. It may hit home for people who have grown up in an abusive home.