Character study of a recidivist
“Straight Time” follows a newly released prisoner as he attempts to re-enter society after serving a six-year sentence for armed robbery. The film deals with his sincere efforts to follow the many rules imposed on him by the system and especially his parole officer.<br /><br />After a long stint at San Quentin, Max Denbo (Dustin Hoffman) tries to get a job in Los Angeles and go straight. His parole officer, Earl Frank (M. Emmet Walsh), appearing affable, is not only tough but alternately dismissive and sadistic, subjecting Denbo to a series of humiliations and stymying his efforts to stay on a straight path. In addition, Denbo’s old friends are a collection of thieves, junkies and low-level gangsters, and are hardly good influences on him.<br /><br />Though Denbo makes an effort, it soon becomes apparent that his irritability, impatience, and self-destructive impulses will lead him back to what he knows best — a life of immediate gratification through crime. The best thing he has going for him is a new relationship with young secretary Jenny Mercer (Theresa Russell), who sticks around even after she learns about his past. Meanwhile, his friendships with two other cons, Jerry (Harry Dean Stanton) and Willy (Gary Busey), are like magnets, drawing him back to a life of crime.<br /><br />Denbo remains a sympathetic character, particularly when we see how he is mistreated by the parole officer and endures the abuse to remain free. His job in a canning factory is a dull, back-breaking daily routine amid the constant loud noise of machinery. That all changes, however, when he returns to crime because it’s what he does best and offers him, to his mind, true freedom.<br /><br />Based on the novel “No Beast So Fierce,” written by Edward Bunker while a prisoner in San Quentin, “Straight Time” includes a number of scenes involving heists which look authentic, from the loud orders shouted to terrified employees and customers, to the hammer, rubber gloves, and satchel brought to a jewelry store robbery to smash showcases and  shovel in as many valuable jewels as possible before the police arrive. The movie is an interesting character study of a career criminal recidivist, but never successfully explains why an attractive young woman would fall for an older ex-con. Could it be that director Ulu Grosbard wanted to plunk in a romantic sub-plot to humanize Denbo? Perhaps, but the scenes with Jenny aren’t convincing.<br /><br />Hoffman is in almost every scene and shows a range of emotion. When he blows up in a violent rage as parole officer Frank is driving him to his job, we are shocked by the violence, since we have seen him straining to remain self-controlled early on. But Frank’s constant degradations have finally made Denbo snap, and we see his capacity for brutality. His payback humiliation of Frank makes for one of the film’s most memorable scenes.<br /><br />Stanton and Busey are effective as the reliable and unreliable pals, respectively, who join up with Denbo as he returns to planning big-time robberies. Kathy Bates appears in a small role as Willy’s wife.<br /><br />Bonus materials on the Warner Archive R-rated Blu-ray release include:<br />Commentary by Dustin Hoffman and Director Ulu Grosbard<br />Theatrical trailer<br />The back of the Blu-ray case indicates that there is also the vintage featurette, Straight Time: He Wrote It For Criminals, but this does not appear on the disc.<br /><br />“Straight Time” is a powerful film, thanks mainly to the intense, well-modulated performance of Dustin Hoffman. It shows the frustrations and anger of being labeled an ex-com and explores the roots of Denbo’s criminal urges. Director Ulu Grosbard never glamorizes crime, presenting a criminal underworld that is alternately frightening, amusing and tragic, but always unglamorous and authentic.
The movie title "Straight Time (blu-ray)," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.6 from 561 reviewers. 
It features elements such as [], and it is priced at $17.99.

This title falls under the categories of Movies & TV, Blu-ray and Movies. 
The additional details include the following in key-value format :
 {"Genre": "Drama", "Contributor": "Dustin Hoffman, H, Tim Zinnemann, Theresa Russel, Stanley Beck", "Language": "English", "Studio": "BBC", "MPAA rating": "G (General Audience)", "Package Dimensions": "6.65 x 5.35 x 0.43 inches; 2.33 Ounces", "Director": "Stanley Beck, Tim Zinnemann, H", "Release date": "September 21, 2021", "Actors": "Dustin Hoffman, Theresa Russel", "Country of Origin": "USA", "Number of discs": "1"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : After three years behind bars, Max Dembo faces Straight Time. He hopes it will mean a new life, a job, a place to call home, perhaps even a girl of his own. Instead, it's a one-way ticket to disaster. Dustin Hoffman plays Max, a freed con trapped by an indifferent criminal system and his self-destructive bent. Before and during the film's shoot, Hoffman apprenticed himself to Edward Bunker, the ex-con whose book No Beast So Fierce inspired the movie. The resulting experience is intensely real and superbly acted by Hoffman and a terrific ensemble (Theresa Russell, Harry Dean Stanton, Gary Bussey. E. Emmet Walsh and Kathy Bates). As Newsweek's David Ansen wrote, Straight Time "has an edgy, lingering intensity.".