7Roulette - STRAIGHT TIME

Character studies are generally boring when you're struck with a one-dimensional loser for two hours. It's even more tedious when the secondary & almost always more interesting character is only given the laundry to do. Granted, I could watch Theresa Russell do laundry for hours, but I'm sure that woman can do much more with her hands. Straight Time does have a few things going for it, one of those being Dustin Hoffman, who in my opinion is one of film's greatest chameleons. Hoffman succeeds in making it tolerable to watch the natural progression & decline of your run-of-the-mill criminal. This results in a refreshing & somewhat atypical conclusion. Take the stupid watch & come home to me, baby. C+

- Jess

The life & world of the thief is often glamorized - & by "often," I mean nearly always. & by "glamorized," I speak in terms of the dimmed glitz & excitement of the lifestyle, and/or the filmmaking style (usually one or the other, sometimes both). Straight Time paints a very stoic, believable picture of disorganized crime. It's truly relatable in that the characters are 9 to 5ers who simply want or need some extra money, & that they don't need to be an expert marksman, computer hacker, or trained ninja to go out & get it. They just need guts & a decent gun.

Ask me one day who my favorite actor is & there's usually a good chance 'll say Dustin Hoffman - a performer whose intensity could leave the likes of James Cagney & Daniel Day Lewis slapping their own respective faces in awe. Straight Time allows Dustin to direct that stern seriousness into a bit of a baddie - he's a tough guy - something I think I'd always longed for & never really got. He's done villains & outlandish caricatures, but never really the brooding, desperate loner he gives us in this picture. A-

- Paul