Brutal, Beautiful and Brilliant. Four friends from Atlanta—Lewis (Burt Reynolds), Ed (John Voight), Bobby (Ned Beatty), and Drew (Ronny Cox)—decide to canoe down the Cahulawassee River in the Georgia wilderness. They view this as a way to prove their masculinity while also wanting to experience the area before it’s submerged under water due to the construction of a dam and lake. However, the dangers of nature aren't the only threat they face; hostile locals are about to introduce another layer of terror. Deliverance is one of those films that occasionally suffers because of its reputation. Like Straw Dogs and other movies from the 1970s, the anticipation of unrelenting horror often isn’t fulfilled for modern viewers. It's unfortunate, since Deliverance stands as one of the finest, bleakest, most brutalistic, and beautiful films of the decade. Adapting James Dickey's novel (with screenplay duties also), British director John Boorman created a powerful film about men out of their element, and therefore outmatched. Initially, the trip is presented as a test of manhood, but each man is forced to question his own worth, and it quickly becomes more about survival as this perilous journey unfolds. Boorman, with assistance from cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, has captured a raw and treacherous landscape—one unconquered by city dwellers but inhabited by isolated people who don't appreciate outsiders showing up with their displays of machismo. From the first encounter with the strange locals, when Drew engages in an impromptu “dueling banjos” performance with an unusual child, the film doesn’t relent; like the locals themselves, it is also relentless. Some critics have suggested that Deliverance is too visually appealing, misinterpreting its lush imagery as detracting from the darker themes at play. That isn't accurate; the Chattooga River sequences are electrifying, and the rapids scenes (filmed with Voight and Reynolds performing real stunts and sustaining actual injuries) serve to undermine the "macho" image of the men just around the corner. It’s a remarkable and potent expression of “beauty.” The four lead actors are all superb in their roles. In fact, there have been few better casting choices than that of Reynolds as Lewis; it's disappointing he didn't take on more serious, challenging parts throughout his career. There are some minor flaws—the metaphors feel heavy (Vietnam seems to be a recurring theme in 1970s films) and ecological concerns are alluded to but not as central as they are in the book. As Lewis observes the landscape during the opening scenes, he remarks that man is going to violate this land; it's moments like these that aren’t fully developed, giving way to outright horror and survival. Again highlighting survival as the primary objective—a game of life and death where a person's primal nature may lead to violence begetting violence. Boorman clearly felt the same way. 10/10

Source on TMDB