James Coburn, Jim True, Mary Beth Hurt

Wade is a police officer in the country and his divorce seldom permits him to spend time with his daughter of whom his ex-wife has custody. He is in love with a fantastic woman with whom he lives. Wad...( read more  read more... )e wants to have a family, but a strange accident will change his life forever.

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71% liked it

4,170 ratings

Critics

86% liked it

43 critics

R, 1 hr. 54 min.

Directed by: Paul Schrader

Release Date: June 1, 1997

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DVD Release Date: July 3, 1999

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Stats: 185 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (185)


  • February 22, 2009
    When you dig into Affliction you feel like you're getting into a low rent Fargo. A man accidentally dies on a hunting expedition and bumpkin cop Wade Whitehouse (Nick Nolte) soon suspects foul play involving his friend, his boss, and the dead mans son in law.

    Affliction is much...( read more) more than that. The crime is just the MacGuffin to lead us to the real meat of the film which is Wade's downward spiral. Wade is divorced and his daughter will have nothing to do with him. He tries hard to have a relationship, sometimes too hard, but the spirit of his father is still etched into him and continues to carve away little pieces of his life. Wade's father Glen (James Coburn in an Oscar winning role) is your typical drunk and abusive father. You've seen it in several other movies. It's Coburn that makes the character more than that. His drunk isn't loud and brash all the time. He simmers. He knows what to say to get a rise. He's evil, yet he's the patriarch.

    Along with Nolte and Coburn you have Sissy Spacek as Wade's fiance and Willem Dafoe playing the other, more down to earth son who's almost too down to earth. he narrates the tale. It's a great cast of talented actors.

    Paul Schrader, best known for writing Scorsese's classic films Taxi driver, raging Bull, and The Last Temptation of Christ directs and adapts the novel by Russell Banks. When you get right down to it Wade Whithouse could be Travis Bickle if he stayed at home and got small municipal jobs in his podunk hometown. Schrader isn't crazy with the camera, but he's still able to show that even though they hate each other father and son still hold a bond between one another. This film is probably Schrader's best work as a director.

    Affliction could have easily been a Lifetime movie, but Scharader and his cast of actor turn it into a tour de force that represents the best of their talents. A little dull at a few points it is still a fine film and necessary when seeing how to cap off a great career.
  • March 25, 2007
    really good strong acting. james coburn has still got it. picturesque cinematography and some beautiful snowy scenery. all about a sherrifs degredation trip
  • March 15, 2007
    A very mediocre thriller made infinitely stronger by the inclusion of some really well-written themes and mindblowing performances. Affliction is a thesis on how competent acting and directing can easily overcome a subpar premise. The mystery that Nick Nolte spends most of the mo...( read more)vie chasing after is anemic, meandering and poorly-developed; it's his past, his present and his future that make the movie far more interesting. The movie is his, with his father standing behind him like some sick puppet master ruling over all the events.

    James Coburn, looking like an evil frog, gives a downright chilling performance here. Coburn can immediately suspend the audience's disbelief, covering up the uninvolving plot and sucking you right back into the personal drama that these characters create. It is he who defines the entire movie, especially the explosive final fifteen minutes.
  • October 9, 2006
    Compelling nature v. nurture stuff. Cold, painful and brilliant.
  • June 3, 2006
    Although almost everything in this film is fantastic, such as the cinematography and music. In the end everything is there to support its actors. The film deals with one mans obsession that he hopes will change his life, only to find out it is turning him into his greatest fear. ...( read more)The setting of the isolated, snow filled town, perfectly represents the nature of the cold inhabitants. Fantastical.
  • October 14, 2009
    Hmmm, per my notes, I gave it a decent rating, but looking back, I don't remember why.
  • August 26, 2009
    Coburn makes the entire film.
  • June 4, 2009
    Barely 900 people have rated this film. Excellent cast-story about what alcoholic abuse can do to an older child. The ending of the film is a narration by William Dafoe - a great summary of the plight of fathers and their sons and the destruction that can be caused at birth. Good...( read more) flick. I really enjoyed it.
  • May 2, 2009
    reminds me of my dad in stephan kings story lisey's story.
  • February 24, 2009
    I knew it was him the whole time

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Affliction Trivia


  • Jack Nicholson played Melvin in the film "As Good as it Gets". What was Melvin's illness/affliction?  Answer »
  • Thank you, your honor. With God's help I'll conquer this terrible affliction Which movie is this quote from?  Answer »
  • Who plays Nick Nolte's father in the movie Affliction  Answer »
  • Who is the narrator in the movie "Affliction"?  Answer »

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