Prime Cut

Director: Michael Ritchie Michael Ritchie

Overview

In this unusual crime thriller, the countryside becomes the homeplace for evil, and the cityscape is a relatively peaceful place. "Mary Ann" is the odd name for Gene Hackman's character, a scandalous cattleman who rips off meat-packing plants while pimping girls and running drugs. The quasi-gangster heads of the meat-packing plants arrange for Nick Devlin (Lee Marvin), a real gangster, to teach this creep a lesson. Thrilling momenta at a county fair and in wheatfields demonstrate that car chases aren't the only way to build suspense in action scenes.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/14/2005
UPC:	0097368888944
Original Release:	1972
Rating:	R
Source:	Paramount
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:26:00
Sales rank:	520

Special Features

Widescreen version enhanced for 16:9 TVs; Dolby Digital: English 5.1 surround, English 2.0 surround, French mono; English subtitles

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Lee Marvin	Nick Devlin
Gene Hackman	"Mary Ann"
Angel Tompkins	Clarabelle
Gregory Walcott	Weenie
Sissy Spacek	Poppy
Janit Baldwin	Violet
William Morey	Shay
Clint Ellison	Delaney
Howard Platt	Shaughnessy
Les Lannom	O'Brien
Eddie Egan	Jake
Therese Reinch	Jake's Girl
Bob Wilson	Reaper Driver
Gordon Signer	Brockman
Gladys Watson	Milk Lady
Hugh Gillin	Desk Clerk
P. Lund	Mrs. O'Brien
David Savage	Ox-Eye
Craig Chapman	Farmer Bob
Jim Taksas	Big Jim
Wayne Savagne	Freckle Face

Technical Credits

Robert Dillon

Michael Ritchie	Director
Kenneth Evans	Executive Producer
Logan Frazee	Special Effects
Robert Dillon	Screenwriter
Joe Wizan	Producer

Editorial Reviews

This offbeat blend of action and satire is a memorable outing from the "anything goes" era Hollywood experienced in the 1970s. Prime Cut delivers the amount of punch-ups, shoot-outs, and tough-guy talk expected from an action film, but Robert Dillon's inspired, unusual script puts a fresh twist on these action-film staples by placing them in a novel rural setting and giving the storyline a satirical voice. Thus, the viewer is treated to scenes where Gene Hackman gives a monologue in which he uses cattle-farming metaphors to explain how the Chicago crime syndicate is growing weak and a bizarre scene where Lee Marvin and Sissy Spacek are chased by a thug driving a huge thresher instead of the usual automobile. Director Michael Ritchie, better known for purely comedic fare like The Bad News Bears, conducts the pop-art thrills with a light, witty touch and gets great performances from his leads: Marvin is all cool machismo, Hackman is a blustery delight as his unrefined nemesis, and Spacek and Angel Tompkins add solid support as two very different women mixed up in the criminal capers. All in all, Prime Cut might be a little too odd for viewers who like their action movies straightforward, but it is perfect fare for cult-film fans, who will appreciate its mixture of punchy action and crime-as-a-business satire.