Rent Affliction (1997)

Amazing, brutal and bleak - Affliction review by CP Customer

It's a real shame films like 'Affliction' tend to get elbowed out of the way by flashy, pushy crowd pleasers lacking originality. This is a fine, well acted drama by writer director Paul Schrader, who has scripted classics such as 'Taxi Driver' and 'Raging Bull'. Nick Nolte is outstanding as Wade, a New Hampshire policeman, living in a small town where corruption is no secret and where the underhanded rule. Nolte's character starts to descend into a mental breakdown while trying to get custody of his estranged daughter and being forced to not investigate too deeply a local hunting accident. As both his professional and private life tug him in different and destructive directions, memories of childhood abuse inflicted by his father soon override his thoughts. A fine cast, Sissy Spacek, Mary Beth Hurt, Jim True and James Coburn all make this movie truly memorable. Part thriller, part psychological study, this is a great film and worth watching.