Affliction

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steve d A+ for Nolte and Coburn's performances. B- for plot with unnecessary mystery. A for overall message of a man not being able to escape generational trauma. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/18/25 Full Review Devin B Starts out slow but worth watching all the way through.A great lesson that abuse to a child is very hard on them even up until they leave this earth. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/27/24 Full Review Jeff M As much as I loved this movie (I added it to my ten best list of 1998), my appreciation is tinged with a bit of regret because it was so close to being a true modern masterpiece. Nolte is phenomenal, and this battles with THE PRINCE OF TIDES as his finest onscreen performance. Had the film concentrated solely on him and his relationships with Spacek and Oscar winner Coburn, both fantastic as well, this would have been a near perfect film. Unfortunately, a murder mystery which takes up a good chunk of the film isn't nearly as compelling. And the character of Nolte's brother, played by Willem Dafoe, distractingly narrates the film; his character is onscreen for fleeting moments and we have no connection to him. All that being said, what's good in this movie is SO good, especially the three main actors and an always welcome performance by the criminally underrated Mary Beth Hurt, it deserves to be seen. These are characters I won't forget, and the inevitable conclusion is a heartbreaker. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/11/24 Full Review Alec B A deeply sad movie that understands the ways that violence and anger spread through families and communities. Probably Nolte's best performance and Coburn really was the only guy who could have played the father. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/13/23 Full Review Chris H Depressing throughout; it has an important message, but can you get through the slow, grinding plot? Nolte is excellent, but his character is impossible to root for and hard to even sympathise with, despite the reasons for his flaws being laid out carefully. Coburn is chilling, playing the root of all evil. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/12/23 Full Review Dave S Adapted from Russell Banks' stellar novel, Affliction is the relentlessly grim story of a man struggling with personal demons that he doesn't fully understand, or perhaps chooses not to understand. The victim of abuse from his violent and alcoholic father (James Coburn), Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) finds himself battling with his own alcoholism, a condition that has caused his own family to collapse, perpetuating the cycle of violence, abuse and addiction. While the movie at times seems to have trouble figuring out if it's a character study, a murder mystery, or a family drama, it is propelled by powerhouse performances from both Coburn and Nolte. Absolutely devoid of anything even closely resembling humor or anything else remotely uplifting, it is an intriguing film about one man's inevitable downfall. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/19/25 Full Review Read all reviews

Affliction

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