Guest review: Straight Time (1978)

Jack Deth sent me another guest review, which I’ll gladly publish. In his own unique writing style he describes the movie Straight Time. Enjoy! Nostra

Welcome all and sundry to another Guest Review!

This offering is another older film. One of those that arrived in the first weekend of a month with little fanfare only to disappear two weekends later. An intriguing nugget of gold with a bit of history behind it, to be sought by those those who might want more than a glimpse into the seedy underside
of late 1970s L.A, and those who occupy its seamy corners and shadows.

The history
Straight Time is the incredibly faithful transition of the novel, No Beast So Fierce. Written by Edward Bunker (Mr. Blue from Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs) while serving time for armed robbery. The semi-autobiographical novel caught the attention of Dustin Hoffman, who bought the rights and director Ulu Grosbard setting up an early release for Bunker. It created the foundation for one of Mr. Hoffman’s best and most non~Hoffman like roles in years. It’s also one of his most personal.

The story (contains spoilers)
The film begins with recidivist felon, Max Dembo being paroled from Chino and given a bus ride to East L.A. with the address of a half-way house and his possessions in a paper grocery sack. Max is nearly unrecognizable with thick, greased back hair, an unkempt mustache and wide, scraggly pork chop sideburns as he meanders through the muggy evening. Max makes a phone call to his old partner in crime, Willie Darin. Played with a hint of clumsy, scared, just scraping to get by finesse by Gary Busey. Willie picks Max up and invites him to dinner. Willie is married to Selma, played by Kathy Bates. Showing off a lot of her talent in the few minutes of her screen time. A hard luck, hard scrabble woman who loves her man and her son, played by seven year old, Jake Busey. Selma sees very early on that Max is trouble. May be Willie’s friend, but certainly not hers.

The festivities break up early. Max find his room and makes plans to see his parole officer, Earl Frank the next morning. Earl is overweight, flabby and loves to make the lives of his chargers miserable. M.Emmett Walsh plays Earl to slimy perfection, setting the foundation for future characters, Bryant, in Blade Runner and private investigator, Loren Visser in Blood Simple.

The two meet and not well. Max just wants to find a job and get away from his old life. Earl knows Max is going to be a hard case as Max goes off to seek employment. Max finds menial, minimum wage jobs. Life is not terrible, but it’s not great, either. Max does meet a girl, Jenny Mercer, played well and believably by Theresa Russell in her first real role. Jenny doesn’t know anything about Max at first, but he slowly opens up to her and love of a sort blooms, until Willie drops by one afternoon and reveals to Max that he’s progressed from skin popping heroin to main lining. Leaving two burnt matches in an ashtray before leaving.

Moments later, Earl drops by, bad polyester and all. He sees the burnt matches and violates Max’s parole with a quick check of Max’s arms and slaps cuffs on him for booking and arraignment. Max puts up with it and Earl gives him a ride back two days later. Mid route, while getting onto the Freeway, Earl decides to unload on Max. Telling him exactly what he thinks him, his history and possible short future. Max has had enough, grabs the steering wheel and nearly causes a major accident. He pulls Earl out of the car, handcuffs him to the chain link fence dividing either side of the Freeway and Max strips Earl from the waist down, steals his car and reverts back to what he knows best…Crime!

After a pathetic robbery of a liquor store with a ridiculous piece of crap revolver that can’t hold its bullets. Max’s next stop is a cookout lunch with another ex-con, Jerry Schue, another failed smash and grab artist, marvelously played by Harry Dean Stanton. He’ss done his time and married a woman of means who has a thing for ‘bad boys’. All well and good, but Jerry cannot stand the banality of straight life and jumps at Max’s offer. Max finds out about a high stakes poker game that is just begging to be ripped off, he confides in Jerry and the two stake out the game and wait for the arrival of a Shot Gun. Jerry is adamant that a Shot Gun is required to cover the players, not just Max’s little cap gun. The man who is supposed to have the hardware arrives just as the game is breaking up, but there is no Shot Gun. And gets a beating for his failed efforts from Max. Who leaves as Jerry tries to mend fences.

Max decides to upgrade his weaponry and notices a shop beside an inviting Pawn Shop with a Shot Gun on display above its counter. Max jimmies the shop’s front door lock with a tire iron and finds an open spot along the wall. There he goes to work punching a hole with hammer and tire iron and Max slips through, gets behind the counter and takes down the Shot Gun as a police car cruises by, then adds a 357 revolver and ammunition for his efforts.

Max returns to Jenny and in a roundabout way explains why he’s been out. Jenny listens and discerns the salient points.Listens to and knows what could go wrong and its ramifications, but she doesn’t care. She’s found her man, at least for a while. Max and Jerry decide to take down a Beverly Hills diamond exchange on Wilshire Boulevard. No small task. Made more difficult as Willie wheedles his way in. Convincing the two that they need a getaway driver. Max is not convinced. Jerry is leery, but they agree. Plans are made. Operations timed. All are convinced that the job can be pulled off as the day and time arrives. The two burst in and optimize fear and intimidation as glass cases are smashed with
hammers and jewelry is scooped up. Jerry times the operation as the clock ticks down. Max keeps on rifling cases. While outside and out of sight, Willie spies a idling police car. Panics and drives off.
Max and Jerry split and stop in their tracks as Willie and their escape is nowhere to be seen! They run. trying to get away as sirens grow louder through yards and over fences. A police car stops and a uniform chases on foot. Max clears a fence. Jerry follows and is shot by the chasing cop. Max crawls close as
Jerry dies. Max unloads his revolver through the fence. Wounds the cop and leaves Jerry behind. Max doesn’t panic, but wants to. Holding it together as he boards a bus. Passes the diamond exchange now crawling with cops. Gets Jenny from work and plots payback. Not on the cops. Or society in general, but
on Willie.

Willie is easily found in his backyard workshop. Curled up and pathetically scared to death. Max gets his payback. He and Jenny head south. Jenny is starting to wise up and is brought into the picture as Max turns on the radio. Just in time for a wrap up on Max’s activities through the day. Jenny is sickened
as reality crashes in. The two stop at a middle of nowhere gas station and diner. Max gives a few pieces of high end jewelry for Jenny. The car’s tank is filled. Jenny wants to come along, but Max tells her she’d just get caught, Max takes off and fades along the road to Mexico.

Now. What makes this movie good?

Seeing Dustin Hoffman play outside his niche and comfort zone of The Graduate and later quirky characters, Bringing life to a not very likeable character, who’s been in and out of the system since his teen years. He knows what to say to those in authority, but just can’t get himself to say those words with the required sincerity. His scenes with parole officer, M. Emmett Walsh are priceless in this regard. As are his ones shared with Theresa Russell’s Jenny, for about as close to from the heart honesty as Max can muster. The only scenes where Hoffman’s Max appears to be relaxed and himself is with other ex cons and felons and even then, those he speaks to display a grain of skepticism and perhaps, fear.

Ulu Grosbard gets high marks for his no-frill direction and camera work. A welcome change from his last collaboration with Hoffman’s Who Is Harry Kellerman. And Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? Pretty goes out the window and is replaced by gritty and low rent. There’s also an authenticity to the film, its dialogue and inner workings. Since Edward Bunker (Who rates a cameo as one of Max’s old friends) wrote the novel upon which it’s based and aided in its screenplay and execution along with an uncredited Michael Mann. Areas Mann would visit again in his debut film, Thief, three years later.

The film’s opening and closing theme by David Shire sounds like a melancholy precursor to Mike Post’s theme for Hill Street Blues. With clarinets and brass replacing violins and cellos. It works very well for setting the mood, As his soundtrack works to heighten tension, defeat and suspense.

What makes this film great?

Hoffman and a whole passel of up and coming talent. Specifically, Gary Busey just before his winning many awards for The Buddy Holly Story. Granted his role as Willie Darin isn’t large, but he taps many reserves and performs masterfully. Also Harry Dean Stanton. The character actor’s character actor. Who wants some spice added to his mundane life, only to find out too late that Max’s brand is not what he had in mind. Kathy Bates gets major kudos for her small role that caught my attention early on and made her one to see out long before Misery. As does M. Emmett Walsh. One of those few actors who can do no wrong. Plays corrupt and slimy like nobody’s business, And Theresa Russell. Who performs more than ably in her first role with some real meat to it.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHXiZn6YGAU]