Cutter's Way
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Movie Reviews of Cutter's Way
Movie Review: I am sorry, but this movie did not age well....I hated it !!!
Summary: 2 Stars
I recall seeing this movie in a theater way back in 1981, when it was first released, and thinking (at the time) that it was very entertaining. In a fit of nostalgia, I recently rented the DVD and discovered that my initial, youthful impression was way off base. Like Shelly Winters and fish, this movie did not age well.
I have always been a great fan of Jeff Bridges (Thunderbolt and Lightfoot was a classic) and would have sworn that he never appeared in a bad movie....until I (re)saw this one. Bridges plays a gigolo/boat salesman who never works or commits to anything, which becomes quite tiresome as the movie progresses. His life is a sham and he constantly seeks the easy way out. I can accept this, but would have preferred some growth, some improvement in his character as the movie progresses. None is forthcoming. Worst of all, he lacks the sly, roguish charm we always expect from old Jeff...he is simply a boring, loutish, manipulative loser.
John Heard, appearing rather young and slim (compared to his current corpulence) is annoying, loud, and obnoxious as the title character, Cutter: a badly injured Viet Nam vet who uses his disabilities as an excuse whenever his foul, drunken mouth gets him in trouble (which is often). Shouting and cursing is simply not acting...if it were, we could all be stars, and in this case, while I believe we are meant to find Cutter to be a troubled but amusing character, he is simply a repugnant jerk. It has been suggested that Heard deserved an academy award for his performance, but was not even nominated (big surprise), perhaps for "political" reasons. I contend that he was not nominated because his grating, annoying performance never rose above the level of school yard tantrum. It was awful. I would gladly submit to root canal surgery rather than endure another minute of his ranting dialog and gross, obnoxious over-acting.
The only good characterization is by Lisa Eichorn, as Heard/Cutter's long suffering, alcoholic (who could blame her?) wife, who seems strangely amused and tolerant of his boisterous, annoying behavior. Perhaps she knows a side of him that is simply not presented in the movie. She presents a vulnerable, touching performance....the only redeeming virtue in this otherwise unremarkable movie.
The plot is extremely slow moving, centering around the brief and indistinct witnessing by Bridges' character of the disposal of a murder victim. The very next day (what a coincidence !!!), while attending a parade, he believes that he sees the murderer, who happens to be a rich and powerful man. Rather than go to the police with their hunch, Cutter hatches a hair-brained plot to blackmail the rich guy....if he pays, then he must be guilty. He also enlists the help of the murder victim's sister, who seems totally unemotional, considering that her sister was brutally murdered two days before, and acts like she is along on a field trip to the zoo....which is no real problem, since she simply disappears from the cast long before the conclusion.
The characters spend what seems like hours arguing, shouting, shoving, and degrading each other while they try to hatch their flimsy plot. Several times, my finger was poised over the "STOP" button on my DVD control, itching to put an end to this increasingly annoying shout-fest. I stuck it out to the climax, which is so unlikely, so utterly preposterous that it leaves you shaking your head in disbelief. I, like many of the other reviewers, may have been blinded by nostalgia, but the harsh reality is that this is simply not a good movie. Do yourself a favor and skip this turkey....other than watching Lisa Eichorn, it really isn't worth the time or effort.
Movie Review: Cluttered and Weighty
Summary: 2 Stars
Initially released as "Cutter and Bone", this movie was pulled from theatres and retitled after several critics panned it. Inexplicably, it became a film festival favorite and developed a minor cult following upon its re-release. My verdict? Those early critical drubbings were well-deserved. For despite a potentially dynamic plot setup and one successful performance, the movie is ultimately done in by a lackluster screenplay, some uneven acting, and substandard direction.It all begins promisingly enough, with a fascinating title sequence followed by the introduction of Jeff Bridges as a two-bit gigolo who becomes a suspect in a murder investigation. So far, so good. Then John Heard enters as an obnoxious, bigoted, profane Vietnam vet-cum-amateur detective who uses his physical disabilities to excuse his ethical and moral shortcomings, and S-s-s-s! The plot quickly deflates into a slow, muddled study of his unpleasant character, losing its promising elements of suspense and mystery, and leaving the actors with the impossible burden of maintaining audience interest. Tellingly, Bridges, who can convey character nuances with a subtle flicker of his eyes or shift of his lips, is great in his role; but Heard, who relies mainly on a gruff laugh and a gravelly voice that wavers unsteadily between slurring and over-enunciation, is merely grating in his. As Heard's wife, the usually fascinating Lisa Eichhorn is thwarted in her underwritten and choppily edited role, and Ann Dusenberry -- whose odd character simply disappears without explanation near the end -- recites some of her lines as if they embarrass her (as well they should). None of the actors is assisted by Ivan Passer's lackadaisical direction, which lacks both energy and cohesion, and only the final abrupt cut that ends this mess shows any prowess on the part of the editor. Recommended for devotees of the consistently marvelous but underrated Jeff Bridges; other viewers beware!
Movie Review: Dated and dull
Summary: 1 Stars
Uncut magazine from England rated this 5 stars and DVD of the month. They also claimed the Coen Brothers paid tribute to it Big Lebowski. This was enough to make me shell out the bucks and buy it.
Imagine my dissapointment. The picture and sound quality were dire. Too much contrast in the video and the sound had to be turned up super loud to follow the dialogue.
The movie came across as just another viet vet/counter culture exploitation movie with a trite plot that hardly went anywhere and never engaged me or made me feel any suspense. Dialogue was dated and cliched.
I'll never trust an Uncut Reviewer again. Don't waste your money on this one.
Movie Review: Cutter's Way
Summary: 1 Stars
Blah. I only bought it because I was an extra in the "Fiesta Scene" back when I was going to school in Santa Barbara.