John Boorman’s now 30-year-old film is not only one of the most important works of the seventies, but one of the most masterful thrillers of all time. Today, it is still an inspiration for its filmmaking purity, its engaging plot, as well for its moral dimension. It can be taken as a classic thriller dramatising a struggle with an unseen foe, although it is more than merely a gripping spectacle. Four men set out on a weekend canoe trip in the Appalachian Mountains, on a rough stretch of river that is soon to be flooded with water from a new dam. But adventure unexpectedly turns to tragedy, one which forever marks those who survive. The men want to prove that in spite of their citified ways they are capable of subduing nature. But the local landscape also includes hillbillies who have long lived in the region under the harshest of conditions, and who believe in a different set of values. The conflict soon changes into an all-out struggle for survival.... In this simple drama, shots of the natural landscape play a significant role, but even more fundamental is Boorman’s ability to inconspicuously create an atmosphere of tension and danger that borders at times on pure terror. No less significant are the main performances, and the well-known scene ¨set to “Duelling Banjos” (by Eric Weissberg) is still as fresh and captivating as ever.