Paul Schrader has written two extraordinary movies about male anger, Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, so it's no surprise that this latest film, about a man undone by uncontrollable fury, is harrowing and heartbreaking. The film is based on Russell Banks' semi-autobiographical novel, which sat on the shelf at Roadshow distributors for two years after premiering at the 1997 Venice Film Festival. But Affliction is well worth the wait.
Nolte plays Wade Whitehouse, a suffering policeman in a small economically depressed town in New Hampshire. Nolte's done his share of conventional Hollywood pictures, but has also consistently sought roles that play against his type - big, blond and highly physical - but this role shows with an intensity he hasn't achieved previously. The film is ostensibly to do with the killing of a man while hunting, however, the story actually revolves around Wade's relationship with his father, played with ferocity by James Coburn, and his failed relationship with his ex-wife and daughter. It is Wade's belief that solving the murder will redeem his wasted life.
The material in this film is so honest and the performances so fine that serious filmgoers should be deeply moved by this story. Affliction is a gripping story that puts a new spin on familiar Schrader themes of masculinity, fate and retribution.