7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
An underworld enforcer sent to Kansas City to collect money from a mysterious mobster who has no intention of paying up.
Starring: Lee Marvin, Gene Hackman, Angel Tompkins, Gregory Walcott, Sissy SpacekThriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
1972’s “Prime Cut” is an efficient actioner with enough surges in oddity to keep it compelling. The feature is directed by Michael Ritchie and was released mere weeks after his breakthrough work on “The Candidate,” displaying the helmer’s gift with realism and satire, and his way with armed men and personal vendettas. I’m not convinced that “Prime Cut” is a lost classic, but it does reach a higher consciousness than most bruisers, investing in unsettling behavior to keep its routine plot interesting. It also helps to have leading actors in Lee Marvin and Gene Hackman, who trade death stares and punches as the big city goes up against the heartland in this periodically surprising exercise in distanced exploitation.
The AVC encoded image (2.37:1 aspect ratio) presentation respects the feature's raw qualities, delivering a grainy viewing experience that's filmic, if a tad uneven. Detail is preserved, working through period cinematography to take in the aged leads and their creased faces, and slaughterhouse visits are certainly textured, reinforcing their troubling intent. Sharpness is rare, but design particulars and sheerness on female outfits are preserved. Colors aren't amplified, but fade is minimal, carrying encouraging hues with exteriors, finding golden wheat fields and greenery intact, while costuming brings out punchier shades of green and blue. Delineation has its challenges, fighting a few contrast issues, but frame information isn't completely swallowed. Print displays speckling and minor scratches, and flicker emerges with regularity.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix isn't strong with definition, registering a slightly jumbled track of disparate elements competing for attention. It's not a mess, but not robust, emphasizing dialogue exchanges, which sound adequate, remaining intelligible throughout the feature. Scoring carries the mood satisfactorily, though Ritchie is more interested in a spare mood of silence, which isn't overwhelmed with hiss issues. Atmospherics are engaging, capturing slaughterhouse claustrophobia and carnival gatherings with variation and pronunciation.
"Prime Cut" is a simple picture, possibly trimmed down from something more substantial, as Hackman doesn't figure into the movie as much as expected, reduced to villain status without truly developing his reach of evildoing. However, Nick is also a question mark at times, with the feature playing as though it was hastily streamlined to best accentuate suspense. It works in way, and while depth is missing, the film does retain pace, hurriedly paging through confrontations before it settles on a firefight conclusion that solely focuses on physical acts of survival. "Prime Cut" is satisfying even if does feel a little thin, but such brevity isn't necessarily bothersome. After all, there's Marvin and Hackman chewing lines and bumping chests, Spacek in an unusually sexualized role, and Kansas is transformed into a black hole of bad behavior, contrasting naturalistic serenity with the cancer of crime. Little else is necessary when the basics are handled this effectively.
1989
Limited Edition Reissue
1974
1973
La French
2014
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1972
Limited Edition to 3000
1973
De la part des copains
1970
1989
2012
1931
1974
1981
1973
Unrated Cut
2012
2K Remaster
1974
1980
1990
1972
Pionér
2013
Warner Archive Collection
1972