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Affliction

Play trailer Poster for Affliction R Released Jan 15, 1999 1h 53m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
88% Tomatometer 51 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In a small New Hampshire town, washed-up cop Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) has a troubled past, an abusive father (James Coburn), the contempt of his ex-wife (Mary Beth Hurt) and an unimpressive streak as a lawman. When hunting guide Jack Hewitt (Jim True) reports a businessman's accidental death during a hunting trip, Wade believes he has a chance to turn around his life, if he can prove it was murder. Increasingly obsessed, Wade begins to lose his composure during the investigation.
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Affliction

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Critics Consensus

Dark and bleak, the "kick-ass" performances, especially Nolte's "effective" portrayal of an abused soul, is the reason to see this film.

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Critics Reviews

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Richard Corliss TIME Magazine There are too many of these men in life, and not enough films that tell their sad tales. That gives Affliction a therapeutic worth. Apr 1, 2019 Full Review Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly Rated: A Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Ella Taylor L.A. Weekly Oct 2, 2002 Full Review Mitchell Beaupre Paste Magazine Affliction hones in on masculinity and the demons that men inherit from one another. Rated: 10/10 Jun 24, 2024 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Nolte is phenomenal in what’s a career performance, but he was absurdly beaten for the Best Actor Oscar by the buffoonish Roberto Benigni for that extended Hogan’s Heroes episode. Rated: 3.5/4 Apr 22, 2024 Full Review Deborah Hornblow Hartford Courant "Affliction'' stands as one of [Paul] Schrader's finest efforts, but the real star is [Russell] Banks, who tells a small story with universal implications and explores the devastating affliction of violence between men. Rated: 3.5/5 Jan 2, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Paul K An acting clinic brought to you by Nolte and Coburn. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/19/25 Full Review 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 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 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 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 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 out of 5 stars 06/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Paul Schrader

Director

Nick Nolte

Wade Whitehouse

Sissy Spacek

Marge Fogg

James Coburn

Glen Whitehouse

Willem Dafoe

Rolfe Whitehouse

Mary Beth Hurt

Lillian

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Affliction

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Movie Info

Synopsis In a small New Hampshire town, washed-up cop Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) has a troubled past, an abusive father (James Coburn), the contempt of his ex-wife (Mary Beth Hurt) and an unimpressive streak as a lawman. When hunting guide Jack Hewitt (Jim True) reports a businessman's accidental death during a hunting trip, Wade believes he has a chance to turn around his life, if he can prove it was murder. Increasingly obsessed, Wade begins to lose his composure during the investigation.
Director
Paul Schrader
Producer
Frank K. Isaac, Linda Reisman
Screenwriter
Russell Banks, Paul Schrader
Distributor
Lionsgate Films
Production Co
JVC Entertainment, Largo Entertainment
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 15, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$6.3M
Runtime
1h 53m
Sound Mix
Dolby, Surround
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