Prizzi's Honor
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Movie Reviews of Prizzi's Honor
Movie Review: Jack Nicholson at his best!
Summary: 5 Stars
What a terrific movie. There are so many memorable scenes and lines in this film. The acting by Nicholson, Russell and especially Angelica Huston is nothing short of spectacular. A very well done dark humor film that one can easily see over and over again. Many will laugh and remember the line toward the beginning of the move by Nicholson, "practice your meatballs!"
The look on Angelica Huston's face is priceless.
Movie Review: A Little Concerned
Summary: 5 Stars
Hi Amazon, I'm a little worried about my orders (DVDs: "Prizzis Honor" and "Wait Until Dark"). They still not arrived and were expected since last Friday (18 march). I would like to receive some information about them to be less concerned. I'm sorry for grammar errors, my English is not perfectly yet. Thanks.Movie Review: Great Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
I highly recommend this movie. The performances were great and so was the writing. I wished there had been some extras on the DVD .Movie Review: Do what? Do I ice her? Do I marry her? Which one of these?
Summary: 4 Stars
After watching "Chinatown" I was curious to see "Prizzi's Honor," because of the whole Nicholson/Anjelica Huston on again/off again romance that began around the time that Chinatown was shot. There was so much drama behind the set of Chinatown that it was a wonder that the film was made at all, let alone that it was a film noir masterpiece, so my review of Chinatown didn't delve into the father/daughter aspect, but as you may know, John Huston played Noah Cross and Nicholson, as detective Jake Gittes, is involved with Cross' daughter (played by Faye Dunaway). He confronts Noah, who has got to be the worst father since, well, Noah, and I couldn't help wondering how Nicholson's offscreen romance with Huston's daughter affected their respective performances.
So, in Prizzi's Honor, Nicholson and John Huston are working together again, but this time Huston is the director, and Anjelica Huston is onscreen this time, as the daughter of a powerful mob family. Anjelica really steals the whole film, and wins an Oscar for her performance. It helps, I guess, if your father is the director, if you are going to steal a film from the ostensible leads, but though John Huston may have been an accessory to the crime, it was really Anjelica's performance that got her that Oscar. She was also great in "The Grifters," if you require further proof of her talent. In Prizzi's Honor, though, she is shown mercilessly manipulating her father, and I'm wondering if John Huston was going, like, so that's how she does it?
Anjelica was the best thing about Prizzi's Honor, and as for Director John Huston, Jack Nicholson, and Kathleen Turner, it was not their best work. The main problem I had with Prizzi's Honor was that it was written as a set up for the premise: what if a hit man and a hit woman fell in love, but then each one was hired to kill the other? It was mostly put together well enough so that you are not aware of the carpenters hammering and sawing behind the scenery, but there were a few gaping holes in the plot.
Kathleen Turner was adequate as the femme fatale, but didn't generate the body heat she did in "Who Killed Roger Rabbit?" let alone "Body Heat." Nicholson was really off his game. What was that accent supposed to be? Brooklynese? He reminded me of Archie Bunker, without that man's wit and wisdom. He seemed dazed and confused, and yet he was going to be put in charge of the Prizzi family business? The "love at first sight" he was supposed to feel for Turner's hit woman wasn't convincing. When he struggled to articulate his "feelings" it was really cringe worthy.
I liked William Hickey, the guy who played Don Corrado Prizzi. He had a really gravely voice that could have become grating real fast--but I enjoyed his performance. Perhaps it was meant to be a parody of Marlon Brando as the Godfather. At least he didn't stuff an orange in his mouth.
Bottom line is Prizzi's Honor is mainly Anjelica's honor, but for the rest, not their best work. Still, they are all so talented, even when it is not their best work, it is still better than most. John Huston and Jack Nicholson, and many others, were nominated for Oscars for this, but Anjelica is the only one who won one. Though the studio didn't expect it to do well, positive word-of-mouth built up slowly but surely.
Irene Walker: Charley, I've been doin' three to four hits a year for the past couple of years, most at full pay.
Charley Partanna: That many?
Irene Walker: Well, it's not many when you consider the size of the population.
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The Grifters (1990) Anjelica Huston was Lilly Dillon
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (voice) (uncredited) Kathleen Turner was Jessica Rabbit
The Dead (1987) Directed by John Huston; Anjelica Huston was Gretta Conroy
Body Heat (1981) Kathleen Turner was Matty Walker
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) Jack Nicholson was R.P. McMurphy
Chinatown (1974) Jack Nicholson was J.J. Gittes
Five Easy Pieces (1970) Jack Nicholson was Robert Eroica Dupea
Easy Rider (Special Edition) (1969) Jack Nicholson was George Hanson
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Two-Disc Special Edition) (1948) Directed by John Huston
The Maltese Falcon (1941) Directed by John Huston
Charley Partanna: Do what? Do I ice her? Do I marry her? Which one of these?
This is one satisfying mob hit...
Summary: 4 Stars A mafia movie starring Jack Nicholson (one of the worlds greatest actors; ever) and co-staring greats like Anjelica Huston and Robert Loggia, directed by the well respected John Huston; I mean, this is a dream come true right?
Close.
`Prizzi's Honor' is a black comedy revolving around a mafia family and their dysfunctional lives, and for the most part this movie nails it. There are a few misfires, sadly, but I would be lying if I said that this wasn't very satisfying despite those shortcomings.
Charley Partanna is the number one hitman for the Prizzi family. He was at one time engaged to Dominic Prizzi's daughter Maerose. After humiliating her family and Charley (by shacking up with another guy) Maerose is ostracized by the family, allowed only to interact with them on special occasions. The film opens on such an occasion, the wedding of Maerose's sister. At this wedding Charley happens to meet Irene, a beautiful blonde who strikes his fancy. They dance, they part, they reunite, they fall in love and decide to marry. Turns out that Irene is also a hit(wo)man and complications thus ensue as her identity is revealed. Twists and turns and doublecrossments abound as the film spirals towards a very `Mr. and Mrs. Smith' type conclusion; all of which add layers to this well written and well acted film.
The script is a gem, caging wit alongside passion and espionage to create a smart and engaging film that is as thrilling as it is comical. The gags are subtle, never over-the-top (this isn't `Mafia' people) and they elevate the film, giving it an edge that is welcome.
The performances make and break this film; and this is precisely what I mean about a few misfires. First off, Jack Nicholson delivers seriously one of his finest performances of all time. This one ranks up with `The Shining' and `About Schmidt' for me as one of the `other' layers of Jack. For anyone who claims that Jack can only play `Jack' they need to watch this film. He creates a perfect comedic caricature complete with a new voice, a new walk and a new smile. He's completely transformed. Kathleen Turner is one of those actresses I feel never got as big as she should have been. She always seems to really entertain me, and while I felt that she took a backseat to Nicholson here (he really is all sorts of amazing) she really did her best to rise above. Robert Loggia is another standout. He is one of those actors who acts from his head to his toes, and he pulls it off brilliantly. I remember a scene in particular when he walks out of an elevator and chats up a young lady. He's out of focus and practically out of view yet our attention is driven to him because he is still very much in character.
And then we come to William Hickey and Anjelica Huston; the two Oscar nominees (Nicholson was also nominated, but deservedly so). I really wanted to like these performances, but they were either extremely annoying or nothing special at all. Hickey for instance was awful in my book. I loathed seeing him on the screen. I really wish that Loggia had received the Oscar nomination instead for his performance was much richer and far better executed. Huston was not bad, but she did nothing special for me. I really enjoyed her `there is no honor' speech, but I feel that her win was unnecessary (as was her nomination) and that she really only took home the Oscar because of her family ties.
Avery, Winfrey and Tilly were much more deserving.
In the end though, I must admit that despite its few shortcomings the film really delivers. It's funny, it's smart and it's engaging from start to finish and Nicholson really delivers a knockout performance. I guaranty that you'll enjoy this movie (that is unless you don't) and highly recommend it to any fan of the cast or the genre. I love gangster movies, and this one has an edge. A solid B+, maybe even an A- thanks to an A+ performance by Jacky-Boy.