Fascinatingly, although we're mesmerized by Nolte's bravura performance, and willing to follow him because of the many traditional hero roles he has played in the past, slowly we begin to doubt Wade's reasoning and intent. Nolte makes a slow turn by degrees, and you may become horrified by what is agonizingly revealed. In Wade's paralyzing flashbacks to his unhappy childhood, we begin to realize what demons have shaped his personality and that they must be overcome before he can go forward. Trouble is, there doesn't seem to be any way out, and Nolte's increasingly erratic behavior fuels our discomfort. He gets us into Wade's mixed-up head and shows us the fruits of hate and anger.
Affliction is a disturbing, bone-chilling film.
Rolfe, a college professor who narrates Affliction with perfect melodramatic film noir cadence, has clearly been wounded by his upbringing. He's still introspective and suspicious, though he has escaped to start a different life. Stuck in the tiny burg, Wade hasn't had that advantage. Coburn's role is small, but memorable and crucial to the story's outcome. Shown in grainy flashback as a much younger man, he's convincing, but even more so as the shell of a man he is today . . .