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Disturbing, but trashy flick with three good actors completely wasted. Burt Reynolds tries extremely hard to bring depth and meaning to his repellent character, but comes up short handed. As for Mia Sara and Angie Dickinson, both of these actresses have proven before in the past that they are solid actresses. However, in this effort they are used as little more then scenery or to just cry and acted scared. The director keeps things moving at a snail like pace and both the director and writer of this project can both be blamed for failing to build up any thrills or suspense. A major disappointment, but at least much better things were in store for Reynolds about 2 years later (Boogie Nights).

Rated R; Adult Themes, Violence.

The Maddening is a trashy, low-budget flick with a "big" star. I couldn't figure out why Burt Reynolds would appear in something like this, especially since he's always seemed so vain, I didn't think he'd have it in him to play a "bad guy." Looking back, this was made around the time of his divorce from Loni Anderson and the cancellation of his TV Show, so his star was definitely on the decline at the time. Maybe he needed the money to pay for lawyers? That being said, Burt is one of the few really good things in this film. His understated performance and on-screen charisma kept me watching even when the story and terribly pacing made me want to turn it off.

Unfortunately there's only so much that actors can do with material. This film is paced so poorly, and the story is so one-dimensional (just waiting for all of the characters to converge for the final show-down) that there's little the actors can do to help.

I decided to watch "The Maddening" because I was intrigued by the movie's promise of showcasing Burt Reynolds in a very atypical role, that being a bad guy. But I was sorely let down by the end results. Except for some good photography and lighting for what was a low budget production, the movie goes wrong in just about every way you can think of. The story has nothing really new - you'll be able to more or less predict what will happen next before it actually happens on the screen, save for some REALLY BIG continuity gaffs. As for Reynolds (who wears an especially bad hairpiece), although he has shown he can act in other movies, here he just seems to be badly miscast; at every moment he comes across as good ol' boy Burt Reynolds instead of someone who is scary and disturbed. One last thing: While the movie got slapped with an "R" rating, it really doesn't earn that harsh rating. If you ask me, the movie is more deserving of a PG-13 rating.

How low is Burt Reynolds willing to stoop, during this late phase of his career? Apparently pretty low indeed, judging from this tedious thriller that was barely released theatrically. Reynolds seems miscast in his change-of-pace villainous role, and the snail-like pacing and poor production values remove most of the "entertainment value" this movie might had possessed. (*1/2)

Burt Reynolds finally goes completely insane in this direct-to-video psycho-horror flick about a deranged father who'll stop at nothing to protect his family secrets. Mia Sara is quite good as the hapless victim and disturbed child Jill (Candy Hutson) is entertaining.There are also some gruesome parts such as Cassie's fingernail coming off. Most people have gave this film bad reviews but i enjoyed it and would definately consider watching it again.