The best film ending? Deliverance and its impact on future generations

The 1972 production of Deliverance will stay with many a boy as he grows into manhood. A basically simple plot,based upon the novel of the same name by James Dickey has surprising power and is a brooding psychological analysis of modern man being lost in the wilderness and how he struggles to cope with the challenges.Burt Reynolds and Jon Voigt play the main characters, ably supported by Ronny Cox and Ned Beatty.

The plot starts with four urban professionals planning a canoe trip down a wilderness river. The character played by Burt Reynolds is the only one of them with any pretence to being able to cope with the wilderness.

The opening scenes, as they approach the river are memorable for the music score of duelling banjos. But from an early point there are dark overtones which do not presage well for the future.

Very early on in the trip the two canoes get separated and Jon Voigt along with Ned Beatty are assaulted by two hillbilly locals. Burt Reynolds comes to the rescue but in so doing kills one of their attackers.

At this point the group make the fateful decision to try and hide the killing. Effectively they are now playing the same game as their attackers. The rest of the film revolves around their attempted escape down the river. Burt Reynolds breaks his leg and Ronny Cox;s character is killed ( although it is unclear if this is accidental or homicide).

Jon Voigt, who plays probably the most peaceful of all the characters is then forced to climb a canyon wall and kill their attacker. Again they decide to cover up the crimer and finally reach civilisation.

Once they are out of the river the sherif knows something is wrong but has no proof to pursue his suspicions. In what is a final irony it turns out that the river valley is being flooded so that deep waters will make sure that what has happened will be buried for ever.

However Jon Voigt's character remains haunted by the trip and in a final scene, which presaged the equally famous ending to Stephen King's Carrie, a hand breaks the surface of the dam and the fingers flex round.

Although comparatively tame when compared to many modern horrow stories it still has a tremendous pull on many young men and starts them thinking about they would survive in the wilderness.

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