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Affliction

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Affliction (1997)

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Reviews Counted:43

Fresh:37

Rotten:6

Average Rating:7.5/10

Consensus: Dark and bleak, the "kick-ass" performances, especially Nolte's "effective" portrayal of an abused soul, is the reason to see this film.

Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Based on the novel by Russell Banks, AFFLICTION is a sobering, absorbing psychological study of the precarious relationship between an abusive father and his two sons. Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte)... Based on the novel by Russell Banks, AFFLICTION is a sobering, absorbing psychological study of the precarious relationship between an abusive father and his two sons. Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) is a middle-aged ineffectual sheriff in a small New Hampshire town, where he and his brother, Rolfe (Willem Dafoe), were raised. When events shatter the quiet of his small town, Wade is forced to confront the past and reexamine his life, attempting a reconciliation with his abusive, alcoholic dad, Glen (James Coburn), by moving back home to look after him. This quietly intense, haunting, and beautifully filmed story unfolds against the harsh snow-white backdrop of a town where everyone knows each other. But more than anything, it is the brilliant performances of its cast that mark this film. [More]

Starring: Nick Nolte, James Coburn, Sissy Spacek, Willem Dafoe

Starring: Nick Nolte, James Coburn, Sissy Spacek, Willem Dafoe, Mary Beth Hurt, Jim True

Director: Paul Schrader

Director: Paul Schrader
Producer: Linda Reisman
Composer: Michael Brook

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jul 6, 1999

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Affliction

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Nolte could have based his oddly sympathetic performance on the image of a sick animal scrounging for food and shelter along deserted country roads.

Full Review Source: City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul | comment Comment
08/21/09
Rob Nelson
Rob Nelson
City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

Schrader has skillfully turned Banks' novel into a compelling character study.

Full Review Source: Murphy's Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/11/07
Ted Murphy
Ted Murphy
Murphy's Movie Reviews

Arguably Scharder's strongest film in years, Affliction is a powerful reverie on family curse, how incontrollable anger, drinking, and violence almost inevitably pass on from one generation to the next.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
06/12/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
N/R

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Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
02/04/06
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
Los Angeles Times
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
N/R

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Full Review Source: Nation | comment Comment
03/03/05
Stuart Klawans
Stuart Klawans
Nation

Affliction is a shattering film, a dose of bracing naturalism based on Russell Banks' most lacerating novel.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
01/08/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

One wonders why Dafoe is even in the movie. But Nolte is, and that's what enriches Schrader's bleak drama.

Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | comment Comment
07/07/04
Judith Egerton
Judith Egerton
Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

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Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
02/11/04
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews
N/R

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Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
05/22/03
Eugene Novikov
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather

A terrifying movie that faces the truth of cruelty and its everlasting results.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
01/17/03
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
01/10/03
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks
N/R

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Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
11/06/02
Jeff Strickler
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer

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Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
10/02/02
Ella Taylor
Ella Taylor
L.A. Weekly

Despite some great performances, Affliction never really takes off.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
09/25/02
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

The heart of Affliction is Nick Nolte's searing performance.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
08/30/02
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
 
 
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