Cutter's Way (1981)

Cutter's Way

Blah. I only bought it because I was an extra in the "Fiesta Scene" back when I was going to school in Santa Barbara. February 21, 2007

Wealth, Power, and Commitment

Brilliant allegorical film about wealth, power, and commitment in America. Judging from other reviews, the film does not appeal to everyone. That's understandable. The characters are almost uniformly dislikable, from the abusive Rich (John Heard), to the egotistical Alex (Jeff Bridges), to the self-pitying Mo (Lisa Eichorn), to the slimy George (Arthur Rosenburg)-- there is no one left to root for. At least not until later when the two crippled halves of Bridges and Heard finally unite, figuratively and literally, into one potent whole. Then we realize that it's toward this completion that the twists and turns of the movie have been moving all along. (I think this also explains why the Ann Dusenberry character drops out at a critical stage. She is no longer needed to get the two together.)

Rarely has any film dared to create such an unsympathetic cast of personalities, especially Heard's Richard Cutter. If he has a single redeeming quality, I can't find it. His loud, grating voice annoys, piling on one sarcasm after another, oblivious to the hurt he causes. Like Mo he wallows in self-pity, and even shamelessly exploits his disability. Then too, his pursuit of the god-like J. J. Cord should appear noble, yet seems more the result of paranoid rage than a desire for justice. In fact, Heard's explosion of anger on the Santa Monica pier is among the scariest, most convincing expressions of pent-up emotion that I've seen in many years of movie watching. Perhaps he can be charitably viewed as an avenging angel, in the manner of Lee Marvin in Point Blank. But that's a a stretch, since the Vietnam War has left him literally half-a-man, a berserk little top spinning around on alcohol and apoplexy, which, of course, is why he needs the able-bodied Alex to carry out his obsession.

Yet Bridge's Alex Bone is an ultimate floater, getting by on boyish good-looks and charm. He has no concerns beyond himself, even seducing the vulnerable Mo, while husband Cutter is away. Apathy is his natural state. So trying to get him to act on the murder he's witnessed is like trying to push a big rock uphill. In fact, when he finally does blend with Cutter's rage and act, it's only because of Cord's arrogant 'sunglasses' gesture, and not because of a sudden steadfast commitment. In most films, it would be the handsome Bone riding the white charger and storming the heavens, having undergone a last minute conversion, and finally giving the audience someone to root for. Here, however, it's the wild spirit of Cutter who rides to the rescue, having at last gotten his legs back if only for a moment. Thus, contrary to expectations, the only concession to Bone is a compromised last minute one.

There is, of course, a political subtext to all of this as one perceptive reviewer points out. Perhaps it's about how criminal wealth and power exist beyond the reach of ordinary folks, and how a commitment for change gets dispersed by escapism and a popular feeling of powerlessness, which can only be corrected by what appears a radical form of madness. But allegories aside, this is a bitter brew that does not go down easily. More than that, however, it remains a superb cult film whose provocative characters and perplexing imagery stay with you long after the screen has gone to black.



May 16, 2006

More Relevant Than Ever

The title "Cutter's Way" is a reference to the main character, Alexander Cutter, perhaps cinema's all-time best antihero. John Heard plays the difficult role of an angry Vietnam veteran who returned from what he now regards as a meaningless war minus an arm, an eye, and a leg. He hates the fat cats-feeling that they conned him and others into patriotically serving while they stayed home, and he resents his best friend Richard Bone (Jeff Bridges) who avoided the war and continues to avoid any involvement or commitment. Commitment is Alexander Cutter's one remaining virtue, when he sets his sights on taking down an arrogant oil tycoon who has gotten away with murdering a 17 year old cheerleader, he stubbornly refuses to give up this mission and insists on doing it his way..

Heard should have gotten the Best Actor Oscar in 1981 (it went to Henry Fonda for "On Golden Pond") but "Cutter's Way" was not popular with critics and viewers so Heard was not even nominated for this role. It is an amazing performance as Heard must win audience sympathy for a character who is not only unpleasant, but terribly abusive to everyone, including his wife and his only two remaining friends. But he earns our admiration with his final act as a knight (on a white horse) who gallops into danger to avenge his wife's murder.

With this Cutter is finally revealed as a romantic who is willing to back up his angry words and seemingly empty threats. His anger is over more than his futile wartime sacrifice. He feels frustration and confusion because while he has remained the same, the world has changed around him in ways antithetical to his beliefs (can you identify with that?). He recognizes that he has become irrelevant to this world but is not going out until he has made a last stand. His commitment ultimately gets Bone to take his first moral stand and finish what his friend started, doing it "Cutter's Way".

Like "Fat City" (another of Jeff Bridges' early films) "Cutter's Way" is more appreciated now than at the time of its release. In part this is because both of these films have held up very well, if anything their political messages are even more relevant today. And make no mistake, thematically "Cutter's Way" is a political film-both anti-war and anti-power; very much in the tradition of "Chinatown" and the world of Raymond Chandler adaptations.

This film is essentially a character study with an expressionistic ending. Most action/adventure fans will find it way too slow and cerebral for their tastes. The acting and the themes are its strength, the contrived story is a non-fatal flaw. The multi-dimensionality of Cutter, Bone, and Cutter's wife Mo (an extraordinary performance by Lisa Eichhorn) are carefully crafted and revealed by director Ivan Passer. Cutter's other remaining friend George (Arthur Rosenberg) is equally well crafted but more secondary to the story.

A fifth character (the dead cheerleader's older sister played by Ann Dusenberry) appears to be a victim of the post-production process as she simply disappears without explanation about 20 minutes before the film's end. Normally the absence of a supporting character would go unnoticed but Dusenberry had done such a nice job developing this character (maximizing what little she was given to work with) that the absence is glaring. Contemporary audiences will see a lot of Dominique Swain in Dusenberry. They not only look enough alike to be sisters but they have the same confident flare to their acting style. Passer had to work hard to keep Dusenberry reined in but succeeded in getting a nice restrained performance from her, her high intensity peaks through just enough to convey that there is more to her character than meets the eye.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child. November 3, 2005

I am sorry, but this movie did not age well....I hated it !!!

I recall seeing this movie in a theater way back in 1981, when it was first released, and thinking (at the time) that it was very entertaining. In a fit of nostalgia, I recently rented the DVD and discovered that my initial, youthful impression was way off base. Like Shelly Winters and fish, this movie did not age well.

I have always been a great fan of Jeff Bridges (Thunderbolt and Lightfoot was a classic) and would have sworn that he never appeared in a bad movie....until I (re)saw this one. Bridges plays a gigolo/boat salesman who never works or commits to anything, which becomes quite tiresome as the movie progresses. His life is a sham and he constantly seeks the easy way out. I can accept this, but would have preferred some growth, some improvement in his character as the movie progresses. None is forthcoming. Worst of all, he lacks the sly, roguish charm we always expect from old Jeff...he is simply a boring, loutish, manipulative loser.

John Heard, appearing rather young and slim (compared to his current corpulence) is annoying, loud, and obnoxious as the title character, Cutter: a badly injured Viet Nam vet who uses his disabilities as an excuse whenever his foul, drunken mouth gets him in trouble (which is often). Shouting and cursing is simply not acting...if it were, we could all be stars, and in this case, while I believe we are meant to find Cutter to be a troubled but amusing character, he is simply a repugnant jerk. It has been suggested that Heard deserved an academy award for his performance, but was not even nominated (big surprise), perhaps for "political" reasons. I contend that he was not nominated because his grating, annoying performance never rose above the level of school yard tantrum. It was awful. I would gladly submit to root canal surgery rather than endure another minute of his ranting dialog and gross, obnoxious over-acting.

The only good characterization is by Lisa Eichorn, as Heard/Cutter's long suffering, alcoholic (who could blame her?) wife, who seems strangely amused and tolerant of his boisterous, annoying behavior. Perhaps she knows a side of him that is simply not presented in the movie. She presents a vulnerable, touching performance....the only redeeming virtue in this otherwise unremarkable movie.

The plot is extremely slow moving, centering around the brief and indistinct witnessing by Bridges' character of the disposal of a murder victim. The very next day (what a coincidence !!!), while attending a parade, he believes that he sees the murderer, who happens to be a rich and powerful man. Rather than go to the police with their hunch, Cutter hatches a hair-brained plot to blackmail the rich guy....if he pays, then he must be guilty. He also enlists the help of the murder victim's sister, who seems totally unemotional, considering that her sister was brutally murdered two days before, and acts like she is along on a field trip to the zoo....which is no real problem, since she simply disappears from the cast long before the conclusion.

The characters spend what seems like hours arguing, shouting, shoving, and degrading each other while they try to hatch their flimsy plot. Several times, my finger was poised over the "STOP" button on my DVD control, itching to put an end to this increasingly annoying shout-fest. I stuck it out to the climax, which is so unlikely, so utterly preposterous that it leaves you shaking your head in disbelief. I, like many of the other reviewers, may have been blinded by nostalgia, but the harsh reality is that this is simply not a good movie. Do yourself a favor and skip this turkey....other than watching Lisa Eichorn, it really isn't worth the time or effort.
July 28, 2005

Dated and dull

Uncut magazine from England rated this 5 stars and DVD of the month. They also claimed the Coen Brothers paid tribute to it Big Lebowski. This was enough to make me shell out the bucks and buy it.

Imagine my dissapointment. The picture and sound quality were dire. Too much contrast in the video and the sound had to be turned up super loud to follow the dialogue.

The movie came across as just another viet vet/counter culture exploitation movie with a trite plot that hardly went anywhere and never engaged me or made me feel any suspense. Dialogue was dated and cliched.

I'll never trust an Uncut Reviewer again. Don't waste your money on this one. July 3, 2005

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