AFFLICTION ***½ (out of four) -a review by Bill Chambers ( wchamber@netcom.ca )
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starring Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, James Coburn, Willem Dafoe screenplay by Paul Schrader, based on the novel by Russell Banks directed by Paul Schrader
Wade: "I get to feeling like a whipped dog some days, Rolfe. And some night I'm going to bite back." Rolfe: "Haven't you already done a bit of that?" Wade: "No, not really. I've growled a little, but I haven't bit."
Why Schrader chose to adapt Banks' disquieting literary novel Affliction is no great mystery; its story follows an arc similar to that of Schrader's best known works, such as his screenplays for Scorsese's Taxi Driver and his own Hardcore. Affliction's Wade Whitehouse, like Travis Bickle before him, is a man who fixates on exposing corruption in place of confronting his own violent past. (In Bickle's case, planning the assassination of a governor represses memories of the Vietnam War, from which he was honourably discharged; Wade has been afflicted for years by his father Glen's wickedness.)
Wade (Nolte) is a barren New Hampshire town's resident policeman and snowplow operator. His personal life is a shambles: his ex-wife hates him; his only child, a daughter named Jill (Brigid Tierney), has little love left for him; his boss, Gordon LaRiviere (Holmes Osborne), considers him expendable; and his current girlfriend, the humourously named Margie Fogg (Spacek), is reluctant to become his fiancee. When he sees a chance to play hero, by detecting the murderous motives behind a hunting accident (in which Evan Twombley (Sean McCann), a union leader about to testify against organized crime bosses, was killed), he takes it.
Wade has a persistant toothache, which serves as a physical manifestation of his grief. Bad memories, like his mouthsore, occasionally prevent him from functioning normally. Glen, much to Wade's chagrin, is still alive, and still prone to berating his children and binge drinking. Wade obsesses over the Twombley case; if he solves it, it might boost his self-esteem. The investigation also provides him with an outlet for his rage; familial loyalty prevents him from directing it at the people who truly deserve it.
In that respect, Wade is awfully reminiscent of another Banks' antihero, "The Sweet Hereafter"'s ambulance chasing Stephens, who spent weeks seducing a town into believing a fatal school bus accident could be avenged to avoid confronting the news that his runaway teenaged daughter tested HIV positive. Wade is a more compelling character, cinematically, than Stephens, because Schrader paints a picture of Wade's world before diving into his crusade. We learn that a night in the life of Wade Whitehouse consists of emotional tugs of war with Jill, some pot smoking with the locals, copious amounts of booze, a fight with the ex, and perhaps an early morning phone call to
his estranged brother, Rolfe (Dafoe), a history professor who was smart enough to leave town at the first opportunity. Wade leads a listless yet restrictive existence.
Nick Nolte is such a commanding screen presence; he makes even a common toothache compelling. After a pair of dynamic performances in Cape Fear and The Prince of Tides, Nolte frittered away his comeback clout on I Love Trouble, Blue Chips, and other forgettable-sometimes downright terrible-big movies. His recent Oscar nod for Affliction signals the beginning of a new phase in his career-Nolte is finally showing his vulnerable side and being recognized for it. Built like Frankenstein's monster, he lurches in scenes with Coburn, revealing a sorrow and hopelessness that appears to physically shrink him. He deserves the award come March 21st.
Coburn, a frequent collaborator of the late, great Sam Peckinpah, delivers his finest performance since Peckinpah's WWII drama Cross of Iron. After two decades of jokey cameos in such films as The Muppet Movie and Maverick (and even a how-to gambling video!), Coburn reminds us the blood of a great actor courses through his veins. Gone are the pearly whites and blow-dried hairdo; Glen "Pops" Whitehouse lacks vanity. A good self-image is obviously none of Glen's concern. Schrader strips iconic Coburn of his very Coburn-ness; Coburn's trademark gruffness is abrasive in Affliction and not at all endearing.
Affliction's super8 flashbacks lack sting. I dare say they aren't at all necessary: the blankness in Wade's eyes conjures mental images much more brutal and upsetting than anything a filmmaker can manufacture. Thankfully, they're but a small portion of the tapestry of anguish woven by Schrader and Banks (Schrader has quite faithfully translated Banks' prose); it should be warned that the film offers no tidy resolutions to its plot threads. For some afflictions, the filmmakers thrillingly speculate, there is no cure.
-February, 1999
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