FAQ

Four Atlanta city-slickers—businessmen Lewis Medlock (Burt Reynolds), Ed Gentry (Jon Voight), Bobby Trippe (Ned Beatty), and Drew Ballinger (Ronny Cox)—decide to make a weekend canoe trip down the pristine Cahulawassee River Valley in Northern Georgia before a dam is built that will change it into a huge lake. After meeting up with some hostile men, they find that their leisurely trip has become a battle for survival.

Deliverance is a 1970 novel written by American writer James Dickey (1923-1997). The novel was adapted for the screen by Dickey, along with English film-maker James Boorman, who also directed the movie. Dickey also has a small role toward the end of the movie as Sheriff Bullard, sheriff of Aintry.

Those who have both seen the movie and read the novel say that one big difference is that the novel is written from the point-of-view of Ed Gentry, whereas the movie equally features the four main characters, Ed, Lewis, Bobby, and Drew. The novel does not include the "squeal like a pig" line, which was improvised by the two actors in the scene. Other differences are minor, such as details about their appearances and jobs.