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Straight Time

Play trailer Poster for Straight Time R 1978 1h 54m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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82% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
A career criminal, Max Dembo (Dustin Hoffman) is determined to go straight after his latest stint in prison. He takes a mindless job in a cannery, patiently endures the abuse of his pompous parole officer, Earl (M. Emmet Walsh), and begins a romance with a sympathetic girl from the employment office, Jenny (Theresa Russell). But when Earl erroneously busts Jack for drug abuse, the ex-con cracks, assaulting Earl and setting off on a reckless crime spree.
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Straight Time

Critics Reviews

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Gary Arnold Washington Post 05/10/2017
There are authentic, gripping elements in the firm. An overwhelming starring performance could have unified those elements emotionally. Go to Full Review Mitchell Beaupre Paste Magazine 03/17/2023
10/10
Hoffman’s gives a remarkably grounded portrayal which feels like a shift after a decade of excellent performances that were more in the realm of nervy, enigmatic, capital-C characters. Here he’s just this guy, an ordinary man trying to make it. Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 10/02/2021
3.5/4
One of the most unflinching movies ever made about the criminal mindset. Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews 06/17/2021
4/4
...a slow-moving yet completely captivating character study... Go to Full Review Bernard Drew Gannett News Service 11/01/2019
There is hardly a minute that convinces, a scene that really works. Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 02/07/2018
B-
Message sending but uninvolving crime drama. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Blu B Oct 29 You know a film with both Harry Dean Stanton & Emmet Walsh is going to be good. Solid soundtrack but I wish it was more catchy on its own. Everything else though man is masterful. We watch Max build a life, find purpose, and have hope for him only to watch old habits return and whether it's his fault or not it's tragic and fasinating to watch hsi complete destruction in real time. You know it's not going to end well but you can't look away and it just makes it all the more tragic. Everyone should give this a try once. Hoffman is masteful here. It's a very visually heavy film also. All Time Classic. See more Cody S. @cody073001 Sep 28 This movie was phenomenal. As someone who gets carried away gambling at times, seeing Hoffman’s character having that “it’s never enough” mindset is just so gut wrenching for me to watch, but in the best way possible. This movie felt so real. They acted as nervous and scared and greedy as any normal thief would, which makes the characters so relatable. What an awesome movie!!!! See more Blobbo X @Blobbo 11/29/2024 Worth seeing for one of better movie revenge scenes where Hoffman gets back at E Emmett Walsh. Highly original. Rest dated, sometimes silly, but watchable. See more Bahad j 07/11/2024 It was a really good movie. Very instructive. I really liked it. I will watch it again later.Also, I really like the small details of the movie. See more David K 04/29/2024 Outstanding cast pulling off some of the best performances of their careers. Dreaded watching but glad I did. Dustin Hoffman has never been better. See more bill n 01/08/2023 Movie was made in 77/1978 please don' let the production date deter from this good movie that has stood the test of time...standout performances from Theresa Russell and Dustin. very glad i came across Straight Time and watched it. See more Read all reviews
Straight Time

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Cast & Crew

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Ulu Grosbard

Director

Dustin Hoffman

Max Dembo

Theresa Russell

Jenny Mercer

Gary Busey

Willy Darin

Harry Dean Stanton

Jerry Schue

M. Emmet Walsh

Earl Frank

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Straight Time

Straight Time (1978) Straight Time (1978) Straight Time (1978) Straight Time (1978) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A career criminal, Max Dembo (Dustin Hoffman) is determined to go straight after his latest stint in prison. He takes a mindless job in a cannery, patiently endures the abuse of his pompous parole officer, Earl (M. Emmet Walsh), and begins a romance with a sympathetic girl from the employment office, Jenny (Theresa Russell). But when Earl erroneously busts Jack for drug abuse, the ex-con cracks, assaulting Earl and setting off on a reckless crime spree.
Director
Ulu Grosbard
Producer
Stanley Beck, Dustin Hoffman, Tim Zinnemann
Screenwriter
Jeffrey Boam, Edward Bunker, Nancy Dowd, Michael Gutmann, Alvin Sargent
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Production Co
First Artists
Rating
R
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 18, 1978, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2009
Runtime
1h 54m
Sound Mix
Mono
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