Prime Cut starts as Chicago mob boss Jake (Eddie Egan) hires 'problem solver' Nick Devlin (Lee Marvin) for 50k to go to Kanas City & recover the half a million dollars that cattle rancher Mary Ann (Gene Hackman) owes the mob, Nick accepts the job & Jake gives him three of his boy's to go with him. Once there Nick ask's Mary nicely to hand over the half a mil, Mary isn't keen on the idea so Nick has to use more convincing methods to make Mary part with the cash which in turn makes Mary use more convincing methods to make Nick realise he isn't going to hand it over. Cue lots of shooting & violence...
Directed by Michael Ritchie this is a pretty entertaining action thriller from the early 70's. The straight forward & somewhat predictable script by Robert Dillon moves along at a nice enough pace, it never bores or outstays it's welcome & it has a nice exploitative edge about it. From turning people into sausage's to Mary operating a prostitution racket where he sells teenage girls off to the highest bidder in a sleazy little unexpected sub-plot. The script doesn't seem to take itself too seriously either, from a shoe turning up on a sausage production line to a scene where a car is mashed up & spit out by a combine harvester! The character's are good although we never learn why Gene Hackman's character is called Mary & the dialogue is effective enough without resorting to constant obscenities. So what we have here is a nice sleazy little crime thriller with some decent action scenes, nudity & a sense of black humour along with Gene Hackman & Lee Marvin as heavies, what more do you want? Well, the action scenes are a bit short & as a whole while it's good the film is maybe a little forgettable, I enjoyed it for what it was but I doubt I'll remember much about it by the end of the week.
Director Ritchie does OK & the opening sequence in the abattoir as we follow the making of sausage's is one of the coolest openings ever & sets the tone of the film up right away. The shoot-outs at the local fête & a sun flower field are both well staged if a little short & uneventful. I think Prime Cut could have used a really good car chase, there's a scene at the end with a large truck but it's not really a chase. The violence isn't excessive although there's some full frontal nudity if that's your thing.
Technically the film is very good with impressive widescreen cinematography that capture the Kanas City farmland very well, it's an unusual setting for this type of film & it's a neat location. The strong cast includes Lee Marvin & Gene Hackman who are both class in this & a first appearance by Sissy Spacek who gets naked. Several times.
Prime Cut is an enjoyable action thriller with two great leading men having fun with machine guns, I liked it but despite the nice location & cool opening sequence it's a touch forgettable & it could have done with slightly stronger action scenes.
Directed by Michael Ritchie this is a pretty entertaining action thriller from the early 70's. The straight forward & somewhat predictable script by Robert Dillon moves along at a nice enough pace, it never bores or outstays it's welcome & it has a nice exploitative edge about it. From turning people into sausage's to Mary operating a prostitution racket where he sells teenage girls off to the highest bidder in a sleazy little unexpected sub-plot. The script doesn't seem to take itself too seriously either, from a shoe turning up on a sausage production line to a scene where a car is mashed up & spit out by a combine harvester! The character's are good although we never learn why Gene Hackman's character is called Mary & the dialogue is effective enough without resorting to constant obscenities. So what we have here is a nice sleazy little crime thriller with some decent action scenes, nudity & a sense of black humour along with Gene Hackman & Lee Marvin as heavies, what more do you want? Well, the action scenes are a bit short & as a whole while it's good the film is maybe a little forgettable, I enjoyed it for what it was but I doubt I'll remember much about it by the end of the week.
Director Ritchie does OK & the opening sequence in the abattoir as we follow the making of sausage's is one of the coolest openings ever & sets the tone of the film up right away. The shoot-outs at the local fête & a sun flower field are both well staged if a little short & uneventful. I think Prime Cut could have used a really good car chase, there's a scene at the end with a large truck but it's not really a chase. The violence isn't excessive although there's some full frontal nudity if that's your thing.
Technically the film is very good with impressive widescreen cinematography that capture the Kanas City farmland very well, it's an unusual setting for this type of film & it's a neat location. The strong cast includes Lee Marvin & Gene Hackman who are both class in this & a first appearance by Sissy Spacek who gets naked. Several times.
Prime Cut is an enjoyable action thriller with two great leading men having fun with machine guns, I liked it but despite the nice location & cool opening sequence it's a touch forgettable & it could have done with slightly stronger action scenes.