Amazing cast! Dustin Hoffman, M. Emmett Walsh, Harry Dean Stanton, Gary Busey, Kathy Bates, and Theresa Russell are all superb. I think I would have liked the film a little more had it been more about the parole officer (Walsh) sadistically trying to exert his power of the ex-con (Hoffman) while the latter was making a stronger effort to go straight. There is some of that early on, and I think it was when the film was at its best. Otherwise, there is unapologetic honesty in the portrayal which has its merits, but the character was a hard guy to like, or feel empathy for. Plus, as Stanton's character puts it, he's so unprofessional.
Review of Straight Time
