Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Leofwine_draca A tough crime thriller, styled like a western, bolstered by two hard man performances from the leads, some great action, and most importantly a simmering mood of heat and violence which you know is bound to erupt sooner or later. In PRIME CUT, we have a film where the atmosphere and look is more important than the plot, which is neither here nor there; a film which swaps the stony cities of THE FRENCH CONNECTION and DIRTY HARRY for dirty shoot-outs in bleached corn fields, wooden barns, and country fairs. Undoubtedly this is a flawed film, which doesn't offer a great deal of action and takes a little too much time dealing with the dialogue and extraneous characters instead of where the importance lies, but this matters not because there are some good scenes waiting to be enjoyed.The standout moment for me is the corn field chase, in which Lee Marvin finds himself fleeing for his life with a young Sissy Spacek in tow as shotgun-wielding yokels move in for the kill. The ensuing battle with the combine harvester is classic, memorable stuff, as is the harvester's run in with the limousine which is surprisingly gripping stuff. A later moment in which a huge truck drives through a massive greenhouse is also similarly spectacular and portrayed with style. The various shoot-outs are also very exciting, as is the case with most '70s crime cinema, and one of the major reasons why the 1970s is still my favourite decade for film production.As for the acting, most of the focus is on Lee Marvin and Gene Hackman, who vie for best performance and try to outdo each other all the time in terms of screen presence and power. Hackman has the edge, moving effortlessly from his honourable cop in THE FRENCH CONNECTION to a dirty, slightly psychotic villain, whilst Lee Marvin puts his typically gruff veteran hero stuff to good use in his charismatic performance as the lead. Most surprising of all is Sissy Spacek, looking young, beautiful and sexy (miles away from her creepy part in CARRIE) as an addict whose live is saved by Marvin and who subsequently falls in love with him. Also good value is Gregory Walcott as Hackman's demented brother (whose madness is encapsulated by a hilarious revelation at the climax), although Angel Tompkins' character of Clarabelle seems unnecessary and her scenes with Marvin slow the whole thing down. Not a classic movie, but offers plenty of entertainment for fans of hard boiled cinema.

moonspinner55 At some point in Michael Ritchie's "Prime Cut", you have to stop looking (or hoping) for logic and just accept the film on its elements: visual flair to spare--and silver-haired Lee Marvin holding the screen with smooth, somewhat sheepish panache. Marvin plays a modern-day enforcer for the Mob in Chicago who travels with his honchos to Kansas City to collect a debt from racketeer "Mary Ann" (Gene Hackman), who is using a meat-packing plant as a cover for human slaughter. Ritchie, working from a reedy screenplay by Robert Dillon, and cinematographer Gene Polito manage to spike the often ridiculous proceedings with over-the-top action and an excitable camera. This works for awhile, until you realize the picture isn't going to amount to anything except a few bravura sequences (such as one where a reaper devours a car in a wheat field). The females in the cast (including a very green Sissy Spacek, in her acting debut) are served up to be ogled, and in this case one cannot separate the filmmakers from the slimy exploiters on the screen. ** from ****

naseby This is pure genius - a mob of Irish-American gangsters with Lee Marvin at their head (as 'Nick Devlin') are called upon to leave Chicago for Kansas city, to rein in Mary-Ann (Gene Hackman) for outstanding debts of a pal of Marvin's - the latter is cold and hard but shows his soft side in relieving Mary-Ann of his other business interest, a young Sissy Spacek, groomed under Mary-Ann's sex-slave sideline to his meat packing business, of whom he sent one of Marvin's pals 's henchmen back as sausages! Marvin confidently walks into Mary-Ann's empire and kicks his ass, after a mauling of some of Marvin's men. A nice scene of Marvin's car being ground up in a harvesting machine, with a lot of nice(?) violence made this an action-packed gangster drama. Worth watching most definitely, personally, I think it's Marvin's best though little known (even better than his role as Reisman in 'The Dirty Dozen').

sagei On paper. Falls short in reality. Well short.Hackman, Marvin and co are mobsters involved in a spat over money.Let the shooting, beating and butchering begin. Throw in human trafficking for good measure. All this set in rural America and Marvin's car.Acting, directing and action are passable. Chase in the fields and homicidal harvester are memorable. Should be a good movie but it never really is. Just off somehow.These guys have done better work so they can be forgiven. Spacek will help you make it a full pardon .Any and every criticism just died at the first sight of her. Beautiful doesn't even begin to cover it. The woman is walking around naked but you would have to first get your eyes off that face to notice. Hypnotic. Makes an otherwise miss, a must see. Will watch this again for her alone.Still radiant in her sixties. Sadly they don't make them like her any more.Wish them well.Thank you.