Straight Time (1978)

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"All I need to do is get a job."

After his release after spending 10 years in Sing Sing, Max Dembo (Dustin Hoffman) really wants to go straight, get a job, and succeed in life. His parole officer, Earl Frank (M. Emmet Walsh), lays down the rules for him to follow.

Dembo had been involved in crime since he was 12 years old and his history made it hard for him to find work, but he does! Until his parole officer busts him for something he didn't do. It isn't long before Dembo reverts to a life of crime.

Also appearing are Gary Busey as Willy, Dembo's old prison friend, Kathy Bates and Jake Busey as Willy's wife and son, Harry Dean Stanton as Dembo's heist partner, Rita Taggart as the parole officer's wife, Theresa Russell as Dembo's girlfriend, and Sandy Baron as another of Dembo's buddies.

Based on the novel No Beast So Fierce by Edward Bunker, a convicted criminal and drug addict who served time in San Quentin, Folsom, and Terminal Island, but who took up fiction writing while incarcerated. After his final release, he appeared as an actor in 25 films including Reservoir Dogs, The Longest Yard, and Runaway Train. He had a bit part in Straight Time and served as a dialog writer and consultant on the film.

Directed by Ulu Grosbard.

Run time: 1 hour, 54 minutes

Rated R

My personal rating: B