6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 2.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
The Prizzi family's principal hit man, Charley (Jack Nicholson), is about to discover that he and his new bride (Kathleen Turner) share more than just body heat: They're both cold-blooded assassins, and their next job is to ice each other! Now Charley must choose which contract to honor the one to his wife or the one on his wife.
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Kathleen Turner, Robert Loggia, Anjelica Huston, William HickeyCrime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 2.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
As a director, John Huston has enjoyed an incredible career, dating back to his very first outing, 1941’s “The Maltese Falcon.” 1985’s “Prizzi’s Honor” is Huston’s penultimate picture, but more importantly, it was the last work that connected with a large audience, becoming a sleeper hit during the “Rambo: First Blood Part II”/“Back to the Future” summer, and eventually going on to collect numerous awards, including an Oscar for co-star Anjelica Huston, his very own daughter. Certainly the movie charmed audiences unprepared for a twisty mafia endeavor with a sly sense of humor, but “Prizzi’s Honor” also acquired attention due to Huston’s participation, acting as sort of a career capper for a helmer who had a little trouble navigating the late 1970s and early ‘80s. On its own, the film is mostly just fine, never remarkable, coasting on the abilities of its tremendously talented ensemble, which is teeming with character actors and toplined by then-titans, Kathleen Turner and Jack Nicholson. The Huston touch is there with cultural details and bluntness, but the feature falls a little flat when it gets caught up in plot mechanics.
"Prizzi's Honor" comes to Blu-ray without a necessary refreshing, with the AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation looking more like a DVD than a robust HD transfer. It's not a fulfilling viewing experience, with softness dominating throughout, overwhelming deep detail on the actors and the sets. While some degree of cinematographic artistry is in play for glamour shots, "Prizzi's Honor" doesn't offer encouraging clarity. Color is muted, leaving only the brightest of reds and greenery to stand out, while skintones run a too pink at times. Delineation is troublesome, lacking definition during low-lit sequences. Grain is zombified, missing filmic appeal, contributing to murkiness. Source isn't disrupted by damage.
Better is the 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix, which delivers a fuller feel for scoring cues, permitting crisp instrumentation and position. Music certainly helps the movie along, and the track is satisfactory, supporting moods and needs of suspense. Oddball dialogue exchanges aren't threatened, with accents and personal performance choices coming through clearly, and group interactions are balanced comfortably. Atmospherics are adequate, capturing room environments and city excursions.
There's certainly plenty to respect in "Prizzi's Honor." Mood is always secure, with Huston keeping matters lively with blasts of violence and dark humor, finding a new ways to keep viewers guessing. The production has real polish, with a strong bi-costal presence, arranging a playground of backrooms and restaurants to explore. And it's always amusing to watch Nicholson play a character who's not the brightest bulb, mastering the art of the slow-burn realization, which comes in handy when Charley gradually catches up to Irene's gamesmanship. Overall, "Prizzi's Honor" is more appreciable than enjoyable, as it runs out of steam while circling around family meetings and personal connections (rough editing suggests it wasn't easy to piece the plot together), becoming homework instead of a thoroughly involving character study. It's hard to fault a movie made by industry royalty, but it's difficult to deny how dull the endeavor becomes when it stops focusing on its charismatic actors.
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