Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Prizzi's Honor Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 16, 2017

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.

Born into the Prizzi Crime Family of New York City, Charley (Jack Nicholson) has been an obedient enforcer, building his reputation for cold-blooded kills, becoming a feared hit man. What Charley really wants is love, finding his object of desire at a family wedding, spying Irene (Kathleen Turner) in church, immediately smitten with the stranger. Trying to get in touch with the mystery woman, Charley eventually tracks her down in Los Angeles, commencing an affair with Irene that riles up the both of them, getting lost in a fog of lust. Simple matters of attraction grow impossibly difficult when Charley’s sent to collect stolen money from a disloyal member of the family, only to find the newly dead man’s wife is Irene, who’s suddenly full of secrets and surprises, including her day job as a hired killer. Unsure what to do, Charley follows his heart and marries Irene, adding complications to both their lives when missing money becomes impossible to ignore, and the elderly Don Prizzi (William Hickey) becomes involved in the clean-up process. Also observing the situation is Charley’s ex-wife, Maerose (Anjelica Huston), who’s newly inspired to get her man back, taking a more prominent role in family affairs.

“Prizzi’s Honor” is an adaptation of a book by Richard Condon, who co-scripts with Janet Roach. Its literary feel is prominent, embarking on a story that’s as much about the daily business of organized crime as it is about the characters involved in the mess. Huston doesn’t aim to mimic “The Godfather,” but there’s a defined concentration on the positioning of the Prizzis and their dirty business, with much of the movie devoted to characters in rooms trying to figure out a solution to rapidly mounting troubles Charley’s uncovered. For the more mafia-minded, the feature will likely scratch that criminal itch, detailing family business that goes back generations (the picture opens with Charley’s birth) and is currently threatened with extinction as Don Prizzi searches for a replacement. There are few knots to untangle, but the onslaught of last names can be a bit numbing, with the production leaning hard on cat’s cradle-style relationships and secretive motivations, and Huston loves the Italian atmosphere of it all, supporting the mood with opera selections on the soundtrack and he keeps the cast well fed with pasta dishes. A lesser helmer would crank it all into a cartoon zone, but Huston stops just short of absurdity, sustaining sobriety to Charley’s journey of mind-bending revelations.

The big draw of “Prizzi’s Honor” is Nicholson, who’s at least trying to do something different as Charley, sticking something under his top lip to give him the illusion of an overbite, or perhaps a slightly caveman-esque appearance, physically changing himself to portray a mild dim-wit who’s in over his head with anything that doesn’t involve murder. It’s an engaged performance, fulfilling Mafioso requirements of intimidation and open to finer touches of comic unraveling, as Charley is subjected to a snowballing nightmare, finding the woman he loves dearly a professional rival in the art of death, while openly lying to him about the details of her sins, putting the made man in a tortured position of loyalty to the family that raised him and the woman who, with just a look, brings him to full attention. Turner is a fine partner in the crime story, offered the brighter, more expressive part, with the actress portraying an actress, with Irene’s primary role one of distraction, keeping Charley away from her crimes, leaving the audience to decide if she’s in love or just particularly good at manipulation.

Joining the leads are a wealth of talented actors, including John Randolph (as Charley’s beloved father), Robert Loggia, and Hickey, who’s a force of nature in a role that brought him tremendous attention at the time, refreshing a stalled career. It’s Angelica Huston who comes closest to stealing the movie, offering a perverse turn as a woman who’s out to claim what she feels is rightfully hers, supplying unusually sexual and menacing work as Maerose becomes empowered to challenge Charley, transforming into a real Prizzi, disrupting the chain of command.

Prizzi's Honor Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"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.

Prizzi's Honor Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Prizzi's Honor Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historians Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

Prizzi's Honor Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.