Straight Time

""Please God, don't let him get caught.""

1978 1h 54m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 221

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After being released on parole, a burglar attempts to go straight, get a regular job, and just go by the rules. He soon finds himself back in jail at the hands of a power-hungry parole officer.

“"Please God, don't let him get caught."”

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Cast

Dustin Hoffman
Max Dembo
Theresa Russell
Jenny Mercer
Gary Busey
Willy Darin
Harry Dean Stanton
Jerry Schue
M. Emmet Walsh
Earl Frank
Rita Taggart
Carol Schue
Kathy Bates
Selma Darin
Sandy Baron
Manny

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ulu Grosbard
Writers: Jeffrey Boam, Alvin Sargent, Edward Bunker
Languages: Cantonese, English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

48 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Cantonese, English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ulu Grosbard, shot by Owen Roizman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by David Shire. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Sam O'Steen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Dustin Hoffman and Theresa Russell and Gary Busey carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: ""Please God, don't let him get caught."".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ulu Grosbard directs. Owen Roizman behind the camera. David Shire scores. Sam O'Steen cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Cantonese, English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
248 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Cantonese, English, Spanish.
4Directed by Ulu Grosbard, shot by Owen Roizman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by David Shire. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Sam O'Steen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Dustin Hoffman and Theresa Russell and Gary Busey carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: ""Please God, don't let him get caught."".
9IMDB entry: tt0078326 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 11 themes, including "prison", "robbery", "police", "murder".

The technical file

Cinematography: Owen Roizman
Original score: David Shire
Editing: Sam O'Steen
Production design: Stephen B. Grimes
Makeup / hair: Bob Westmoreland
Sound: Richard Portman
Stunt coordinator: Dick Ziker
Runtime: 114 min · 1h 54m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $4,000,000
Box office: $9,900,000
Return: 248% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Straight Time (1978)

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Ulu Grosbard

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2016-07-31
★ 9/10
I got stomach trouble... no guts. Based on ex-convict Eddie Bunker's novel, No Beast So Fierce, pic pitches Dustin Hoffman as ex-con Max Dembo, who after being released from prison has every intention to go straight. Easier said than done, though... It's hard to believe that Straight Time is often thought of as under seen, a hidden gem of the 1970s, this given that it stars Dustin Hoffman and the advent of the internet years has seen it garner votes and reviews aplenty. Yet it does seem to be a pic that doesn't get its due credit, annoying since it's one of Hoffman's greatest performances. Hoffman loved the material and heavily sought to direct and star in it. Something which proved too hard for him to do. He was humble enough to recognise this fact and brought in friend Ulu Grosbard to direct while he concentrated on the acting side of things - result! There is absolutely no glamour on show here, Max is surrounded by weasels, slime balls, junkies and perpetual thieves, while his own mental fortitude is suspect at best. It's both gripping and disturbing, this world he inhabits, no excuses are put forward, no "woe is me" tales, he ultimately accepts his lot. Hoffman is backed by superb performances from Harry Dean Stanton, M. Emmet Walsh and Gary Busey, and Theresa Russell gives quality turn as the naive woman in Max's life - no token here, she's in the grip of a homme career criminal and not merely here to look pretty and doe eyed. As a character study it positively bristles with brains and foolish brawn, and Grosbard directs with unfussy skill whilst showing a very good eye for a dramatic action scene. Studio interference would hurt the pic upon release, but now this can be seen as a film of great worth. 9/10

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