Runtime: 88 minutes
Directed by: Michael Ritchie
Starring: Lee Marvin, Gene Hackman (RIP), Angel Tomkins, Gregory Walcott, Sissy Spasek
From: National General Pictures
RIP Gene Hackman
That family friend’s stay down here the past several days (they will return home on Monday) has been a fun time; on the other side of the coin, it’s not the best time for posting on Letterboxd or viewing any feature films.
One day later in the month I’ll tip my cap to the late Michelle Tractenberg; I never saw any of her TV shows and viewed just two (bad) movies she was in. Her age and the alleged “personal demons” she faced made her passing tragic. The circumstances behind the death of Hackman, his wife Betsy and one of their dogs—what in the world happened? No matter what it is, “tragic” is a word to use again. I’ll say more later but as a kid, the Superman movies were viewed on VHS tape or once in a blue moon on television-I knew him first as Lex Luthor.
I typically tip my cap to late performers by reviewing a movie here for the first time. Prime Cut was selected-out of all the cuts available-as it’s been part of my collection for a few years now (nevermind how) and I kept on delaying the viewing. Shame on me, as Prime Cut is a very good tale revolving around Lee Marvin-another good reason to selection a motion picture-a Mob enforcer from Chicago being sent to Kansas City to collect a debt from Hackman-sporting a tremendous mustache-a meatpacking boss hysterically known as MARY ANN.
Prime Cut is odd in general; the enforcer is the hero while the villains are some “good old boys” in the heartland of America engage in such acts as female slavery. Mary Ann sells women at auctions like they’re cattle; Marvin purchases Sissy Spasek (her movie debut) as she asks for help rather than for any gross reasons… oh wait, it is rather weird that Lee purchased a sheer green dress for her yet did not purchase any underwear and he decided to bring that much-younger lady in the green dress to a fancy hotel restaurant. Plus, she now loves him, although he doesn’t feel the same way.
The movie’s wild and also mean-spirited, in other words. Mary Ann is a twisted character yet his brother WEENIE is even more bizarre and their relationship: it has rather perverse undertones. That’s fitting as the picture shows the dark undertones of such Midwest institutions as county fairs, a sunflower field& farms. The movie has a methodical 70’s packing—for me that is rarely an issue & it wasn’t an issue here when this compelling world was examined. The film still had exciting action when warranted. An awesome Lalo Schifrin score was a nice asset. There wasn’t as much Hackman as expected and Angel Tompkins was in only a few scenes. Even then, I was glad to have finally tackled Prime Cut.
It wasn’t until my adult years that I saw such classics as The French Connection and The Conversation, along with lesser-known yet worthwhile films like The Gypsy Moths and Scarecrow. There’s still plenty more for me to possibly review in the future; at least one more with him will be discussed in March. I’m glad to have seen more of Gene Hackman after I left my youth and discovered why he’s so beloved by people like us-a love that I share. The details of his passing away are upsetting. In any event, I will attempt to ignore the circumstances of the death when I think of Hackman as a great American performer. Again, Rest in Peace.
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