Straight Time [VHS]
Straight Timeis notable for one of Dustin Hoffman's best--and least-seen--performances, as a lifelong criminal who, as a parolee, struggles to go straight. But it's a losing battle right from the jump. In less than a week, he's had a scuffle with his parole officer (M. Emmet Walsh) and is on the dodge, looking for a score. But you know that this guy has only two directions he can go in life--and that's either back to prison or into an early grave. A startling depiction of a surprisingly likable sociopath, this Ulu Grosbard film is a dark meditation on one man's firm--if skewed--values and features Hoffman in a relentless, wiry portrayal. The rest of the cast is equally strong, including the  always-reliable Harry Dean Stanton, then-newcomer Gary Busey, and an unknown Kathy Bates.--Marshall Fine