Affliction (1997) - Details

A brilliantly acted movie by Nolte and Coburn, a twisted father and son portrayal that digs at the fear and destruction that lies within us all. Beautifully filmed for despair and winter cold, the small New England town in which Nolte is the sheriff, is being hoodwinked by local developers planning to reengineer the town into a ski resort. You watch Nolte self destruct as he tries to rely on what he learned from his father to fight the developers: anger, violence, confusion and a chillingly accurate descent into alcoholic rage and, finally--well, you just have to see the movie, OK? Coburn won Oscar for best supporting actor. Fantastic film. By John Guerra