Deliverance

Jessica Morris6 said:116 seconds. Can you believe how surreal that looks? It’s either some impossible shot where he throws the arrow by hand, which makes zero sense, or someone else just happened to nail him from a distance...

Watching that scene unfold, I was fully expecting Bucko (since he was part of the group) to pop up, but it turns out Ed was all on his own.

116? Are you talking about the arrow hitting Voight or that hillbilly guy?

On the front side? Take a closer look, brighteagle39.

Patrick Martin said:116? Are you talking about the arrow hitting Voight or that hillbilly guy?

I'm thinking about this one... hillbillyjuIt seems like Voight just managed to injure himself in some sort of clumsy, awkward way...

James Garcia50 said:On the front side? Take a closer look, brighteagle39.

The footage looks a little strange to me, too... It honestly feels like it was shot from the rear.

Jessica Morris6 said:I'm thinking about this one... hillbillyjuIt seems like Voight just managed to injure himself in some sort of clumsy, awkward way...

The footage looks a little strange to me, too... It honestly feels like it was shot from the rear.

Ah, I see where the confusion is.

Look, if someone gets hit in the upper back at that specific angle, where would the shooter even have to be standing?

And that injury to Voight is tripping me up too. It looks more like he tripped onto his own arrow—you can see the tip sticking out of his chest—and then we see him pulling it out by the shaft.

...
... ...

(that "flash" gif below/ "falls" from the branch, looks like some kind of pyrotechnics—the timing is just off)

James Garcia50 said:Ah, I see where the confusion is.

Look, if someone gets hit in the upper back at that specific angle, where would the shooter even have to be standing?

And that injury to Voight is tripping me up too. It looks more like he tripped onto his own arrow—you can see the tip sticking out of his chest—and then we see him pulling it out by the shaft.

And if you look closely at these GIFs, it’s pretty obvious the shooter was positioned behind him, which just doesn't align with how the scene is supposed to play out. I also noticed what looks like an arrow might have just fallen from the tree above him.
The bottom line is they missed the mark. It's pretty clear they botched this whole sequence...

Based on what we're looking at, the shooter was positioned behind and above him (maybe up in a tree?). They totally blew it.

Jessica Morris6 said:And if you look closely at these GIFs, it’s pretty obvious the shooter was positioned behind him, which just doesn't align with how the scene is supposed to play out. I also noticed what looks like an arrow might have just fallen from the tree above him.
The bottom line is they missed the mark. It's pretty clear they botched this whole sequence...

That "pyrotechnics" bit looks like total nonsense. As for the arrows? He already had a wound in his neck from earlier. He took that hit during the scene where they were measuring—and shooting—each other...

How did he manage to hit her in the back instead of the chest?

coppersailor28 said:That "pyrotechnics" bit looks like total nonsense. As for the arrows? He already had a wound in his neck from earlier. He took that hit during the scene where they were measuring—and shooting—each other...

That’s certainly a possibility. I mean, when Ed (Voight) was creeping around behind him, visibly shaking with fear while clutching that bow... he somehow managed to land a shot. It just seems like they skipped over the actual moment of impact, which is why everyone is making such a massive fuss about it. Even then, that idiot was facing him and aiming right at him. And if you look closely at this second gif, it looks like the arrowhead is pointing backward, which would imply he was actually struck from the front...

James Garcia50 said:How did he manage to hit her in the back instead of the chest?

That’s exactly why I "paused" and zoomed in on the GIF—to show you the tip of the arrow is clearly hitting her back.

Unbelievably precise for someone who seems that clueless (if that's even true).

Jessica Morris6 said:That’s certainly a possibility. I mean, when Ed (Voight) was creeping around behind him, visibly shaking with fear while clutching that bow... he somehow managed to land a shot. It just seems like they skipped over the actual moment of impact, which is why everyone is making such a massive fuss about it. Even then, that idiot was facing him and aiming right at him. And if you look closely at this second gif, it looks like the arrowhead is pointing backward, which would imply he was actually struck from the front...

They skipped the shot because even we’re a little unsettled by the GIF.🙂
That’s why the arrow ends up looking like it went "through" him. Sure, from that distance, maybe it could actually pierce that spot (just below the neck)🤷 ... but it isn't convincing.

James Garcia50 said:Unbelievably precise for someone who seems that clueless (if that's even true).

It isn't precise. The guy missed (he certainly wasn't aiming for the neck or shoulder)...

Man, honestly, things could've gone way worse. What do you guys think, did he take a shot straight to the eye through the pipe?

But seriously, no joke now, the more I sit here and stare at it, the more this whole scene actually starts to look pretty normal to me.🤷

Before we all had the chance to sit on our couches and perform high-def forensic audits on movie scenes, it was pretty obvious to everyone on the planet that the guy had been hit by an arrow—it just wasn't immediately visible, which added those few extra beats of suspense.

I mean, who actually cares what an arrow strike looks like when you run it through ultra-slow motion and subject it to some intense digital frame-by-frame analysis?

Movies are meant to be watched in one go, without treating every single frame like a crime scene from a CSI episode—if you just watch them like a normal person would, it’s perfectly clear what’s happening in the scene.

I put together this GIF so you guys can actually see what I mean. The whole thing feels incredibly cheap and poorly executed... especially that part where he basically impales himself on his own arrow—it’s such an obvious, lazy stunt 🙂. Most of the other scenes hold up fine, but they really dropped the ball on this one.

Man, you're telling me! That whole scene was absolutely epic—there’s just something about it, you know? A little bit theatrical, maybe a tad over the top, but man, it really sticks with you.

He seriously should've cut to a different angle, though. That shot of the cliffside was way too close for comfort.

nimblemarlin6 said:Before we all had the chance to sit on our couches and perform high-def forensic audits on movie scenes, it was pretty obvious to everyone on the planet that the guy had been hit by an arrow—it just wasn't immediately visible, which added those few extra beats of suspense.

I mean, who actually cares what an arrow strike looks like when you run it through ultra-slow motion and subject it to some intense digital frame-by-frame analysis?

Movies are meant to be watched in one go, without treating every single frame like a crime scene from a CSI episode—if you just watch them like a normal person would, it’s perfectly clear what’s happening in the scene.

Nothing beats breaking down an action sequence. Is there anything better?

Look, it's Jessica Morris6... you can't exactly shoot yourself in the foot like that, but hey, here we go.

It’s totally possible—like, beyond possible. That shot where he’s practically teetering off the edge of the cliff? That’s a freaking nightmare of a stunt, super dangerous and demanding. You just can't nail both perfectly at once.
That’s exactly why the director went with the cut there. It’s such a minor thing, really, but a cut implies there's some kind of movement or action happening in that gap, right? You don't have to show every single micro-second of it on screen to make it work.

You can't do it like that.
He’s the creator, sure, but we're the ones paying for it—everyone's entitled to an opinion, right?

Anyway, Deliverance is still one of my all-time favorites, even if it isn't perfect.