FILM · 1978
Straight Time
37 archived facts 7 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (37)
- #001
Straight Time was Dustin Hoffman's pet project, and he was originally set to direct it himself. After the studio rejected his final cut, he sued Warner Brothers over its handling of the film.
- #002
Michael Mann was one of three writers who worked on the screenplay for Straight Time. Mann wrote the original draft with Edward Bunker, a former convict who served as the film's technical adviser; the two worked together for three months, during which Mann visited Folsom Prison and interviewed several inmates who knew Bunker. Mann's draft was written when Dustin Hoffman was still planned to direct. When Ulu Grosbard took over directing duties, he hired Alvin Sargent and Jeffrey Boam to rewrite Mann's script. Sargent, Boam and Bunker received writing credit, but Mann did not.
- #003
Uncredited in the titles, Michael Mann worked on adapting Edward Bunker's novel No Beast So Fierce, the source book for Straight Time, into the screenplay. The book later served as a reference point for Mann when he made Heat (1995), specifically for the character Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro).
- #004
Quentin Tarantino had Robert De Niro watch Straight Time in preparation for Jackie Brown (1997), because De Niro's character has just been released from prison.
- #005
Although Dustin Hoffman gave up the directing duties a few days later, he kept imposing himself on Ulu Grosbard, whom he had persistently persuaded to replace him, and tried to take as much control of the film away from Grosbard as he could. This caused a deep rift in what had once been a strong friendship between the two men.
- #006
Straight Time was the first film of Jake Busey (Henry Darin), the son of his co-star Gary Busey (Willy Darin).
- #007
Dustin Hoffman visited Edward Bunker, the author of the source novel, in prison to express his interest in turning the book into a film. Hoffman's enthusiasm and excellent reviews helped the authorities release Bunker early.
- #008
Dustin Hoffman was initially directing Straight Time. After a few days of shooting, however, he changed his mind and hired Ulu Grosbard.
- #009
Dustin Hoffman personally hired composer David Shire for Straight Time. Shire received a phone call from Hoffman at his home one night and immediately accepted the job, which surprised him.
- #010
Dustin Hoffman wanted the film to start following the book, showing Dembo in prison with a young male companion and essentially running things, then later showing how little he has on the outside.
- #011
Ulu Grosbard is one of the people listed in the Special Thanks of Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992), as Straight Time was a major inspiration for Tarantino's first film.
- #012
Edward Bunker helped write the screenplay together with Alvin Sargent, who visited him at San Quentin prison. By the time Bunker was released, the film was in pre-production.
- #013
Straight Time went 23 days over schedule and $1,000,000 over budget. It did not recoup its negative cost at the box office.
- #014
Straight Time inspired Reservoir Dogs (1992), in which Edward Bunker appeared.
- #015
According to the DVD's cover notes, "Before and during the filming of the movie, (Dustin) Hoffman apprenticed himself to Edward Bunker, the ex-convict whose book No Beast So Fierce inspired the film."
- #016
Straight Time is the second of two films Dustin Hoffman made with director Ulu Grosbard. The first was Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (1971).
- #017
Edward Bunker dedicated Little Boy Blue, the sequel to his novel No Beast So Fierce (which was adapted into Straight Time), to Dustin Hoffman.
- #018
Stephanie Ericsson Baron was visiting her husband Sandy Baron on set during filming. When Dustin spotted her behind the cameras, he had her play in a scene with Sandy.
- #019
One of M. Emmett Walsh's first appearances on film was as an extra on the bus in Midnight Cowboy (1969), which starred Dustin Hoffman.
- #020
Dustin Hoffman prepared for the role of Max Dembo by visiting Folsom Prison. Although the film takes place mostly outside prison, Hoffman wanted the experience of prison life and atmosphere as "conditioning" to characterize a man just out of prison after serving a six-year sentence.
- #021
Almost the entire film was shot in and around Los Angeles, California.
- #022
The film was produced through Dustin Hoffman's SweetWall Productions and First Artists, a partnership co-owned by Paul Newman, Sidney Poitier, Barbara Streisand and Steve McQueen.
- #023
Ulu Grosbard was the person who gave Dustin Hoffman Edward Bunker's novel "No Beast So Fierce" to read. Hoffman had been enamored with the project since he got the book.
- #024
Edward Bunker (in the role of Mickey) wore a (rather obvious) toupee in this film. A former convict, he is bald in his next role.
- #025
He wrote the novel on which the film is based after serving time in prison for armed robbery. He appears as "Mickey" about an hour into the film.
- #026
This film marked the screen debuts of both Kathy Bates and Theresa Russell.
- #027
Many people thought Theresa Russell was too young and too attractive for the role (she likely got it after appearing with Dustin Hoffman's contemporaries Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson in The Last Tycoon (1976)).
- #028
When this film was shot, Dustin Hoffman was 39 and Theresa Russell was 20.
- #029
This film was released five years after the publication of Edward Bunker's source novel "No Beast So Fierce."
- #030
The title refers to the post-prison activities of a former convict who no longer commits crimes, as in the similar phrase "going straight" used in the names of many other films and series.
- #031
Gary Busey had to gain weight for the role because he was in excellent shape for the surfing film Big Wednesday (1978).
- #032
Although he received no directing credit on the film, Dustin Hoffman did not direct a single scene. While briefly attached as director during pre-production, he realized he could not both direct and act, so he hired his friend Ulu Grosbard, saying he believed he could trust Grosbard to follow (Hoffman's) vision. This highly arrogant and condescending attitude may have angered Grosbard, especially since he regarded Hoffman as an old friend. In any case, the star's insistence on being a director rather than some kind of assistant led to a significant disagreement between the two men that never fully healed.
- #033
In the mugshots at the end of the film, Dustin Hoffman's Max has the same prisoner number that Edward Bunker, the author of the book on which the film is based, actually had while in prison.
- #034
After Hoffman stepped down from directing, Hal Ashby was the actor's preferred choice to direct the film, but he had to withdraw because of health problems that arose during the production of the Woody Guthrie biopic Bound for Glory, his lungs having filled with the dust he inhaled.
- #035
Hoffman met with many well-known directors he had worked with to direct the film, including Mike Nichols, John Schlesinger, Alan J. Pakula and Bob Fosse. According to Hoffman, all of them declined, though Fosse later regretted turning down the offer.
- #036
Unhappy with the finished film, Hoffman refused to promote it at its theatrical release, saying: "This is in no way my film. I don't want to hurt it, but I don't think it reached the potential it might have had. I hope it's successful, but I can't promote it with a clear conscience."
- #037
Gary Busey and character actress Fran Ryan both appeared in Big Wednesday (1978) the same year.
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