Straight Time- Solid Dustin Hoffman movie from the 70s- new out on DVD. Hoffman plays Max Dembo an ex-con struggling to go straight and deal with his parole officer(played perfectly M. Emmet Walsh).Dembo manages to snag a straight job with help from Theresa Russell(who becomes a love interest).The movie manages to capture the frustration of being an ex-con.Based on No Beast So Fierce a book by ex-con Edward Bunker- we see the un-ending cycle of jail time and bad schemes.Gary Busey,Kathy Bates and Harry Dean Stanton all do well in their roles in Dembo's universe.The DVD has a commentary track by Dustin Hoffman and the director and a vintage featurette.Good mix of action and location shooting.Worth a rental for fans of gritty realistic drama. B+
Review of Straight Time
