Wizard-8 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.

desperationnumberfive Burt Reynolds as a psycho... definitely had me interested when I came across this one on late- night cable TV. I should have known that like most of everything Burt Reynoolds has made in the last 20 years or so, this one is very high on camp and pretty low on quality. I was even more surprised to see that it was directed by Danny Huston, who has since gone on to do some excellent acting work in some very acclaimed films. I guess The Maddening was a low point for both him and Burt... check it out only if you dare. Kind of reminded me of the B-movie classic The Stepfather, except this one is even lower in production value.

HumanoidOfFlesh I was a bit skeptical to see this film,mainly because Burt Reynolds plays a psycho killer!I was wrong-"The Maddening" is very good.Reynolds performance is just scary and flawless,and the film has its share of surprises.It's creepy,mildly disturbing at times,but still manages to be entertaining for horror/thriller fans!The acting is surprisingly good and there are some violent scenes like nasty throat slashing!Check it out-you won't be disappointed!8 out of 10.

ary The most important and especial aspect of this motion picture is Burt Reynolds' performance. Here, he plays Roy Scudder, a simple, but dangerous and angry man who will do everything to protect his family's secrets.Reynolds is terrific,and this is a good chance to see him making different roles.His eyes resemble the ones of a hunter.Although very interesting, and sometimes extremely violent, The Maddening is a bit slow,and suffers due the poor production and the weak direction by Danny Huston.Over all,the movie has some memorable actings and moments (like the ending, or the confrontation between Reynolds and Sara's characters-there is a particular powerful and dramatic moment in which Roy talks about his father, in an impressive line "...watching me...watching me, and hating me, hating me because I was normal...and I hated him!because he wasn't!"). Mia Sara is great, and her chemistry worked so well with Reynolds that the star invited her to participate in his thriller Hard Time,and Angie Dickinson is also worth of mention.Even having some defects, The Maddening is a good entertainment...