Makin' it on the outside isn't easy when all you've known is a criminal way of life. Dustin Hoffman's character in Ulu Grosbard's Straight Time has been scrutinized since he was 12 years old. Being in the slammer for 6 years before being let go, only to be back in again, he seems to not be able to catch a break. But all the while, he has this attitude as if he's got a chip on his shoulder, so he really doesn't make you feel sympathetic to him either.
Getting out and meeting back up with his old criminal buddies isn't the best idea either, but that doesn't seem to stop him from doing it. Breaking a pattern of crime is the only way to really do the straight time the title of the movie suggests. There are some really strong performances from Gary Busey, Kathy Bates, and Harry Dean Stanton as well as the guys he's worked with in the past and their families.
So what does a career criminal do to get by? His paying job isn't much and having to get his girlfriend to help pay for dinner sends him into this recurring spiral back into his old life real fast. With a parole officer like M. Emmet Walsh as Earl Frank, there's no wonder there aren't more repeat offenders in today's prison systems. Earl doesn't hold a candle to Hume Cronyn as Captain Munsey in Brute Force. Munsey has more ambition than simply messing with one convict. He wants the Warden's job in his prison.
Straight Time is the most recent of the films we've watched this week. With advancements in story development and acting techniques, this movie is more believable than Brute Force and their way of trying to escape. Showing more than just a one sided story of prison life, Straight Time includes a more accurate picture of someone who's involved with a convict in Theresa Russell's Jenny character. She's much more believable than the "Women on the outside" in Brute Force as well. She's excited to be involved with someone from the inside, until he scares her towards the end, but ultimately she still loves him.
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