Prime Cut

080874 / 18 / US / 1972 / Ritchie, Michael / gangster
Prime Cut / Lihakirves. © Cinema Center Films. EX: Kenneth Evans. P: Joe Wizan. D: Michael Ritchie. SC: Robert Dillon. DP: Gene Polito. ED: Carl Pingitore. M: Lalo Schifrin. CAST: Lee Marvin (Nick Devlin), Gene Hackman (Mary Ann), Angel Tompkins (Clarabelle), Sissy Spacek (Poppy). 86’ according to the BFI CD-ROM. Scope cropped to wide; slightly letterboxed. Transmitted by Yleisradio TV2 on Saturday 31 January 1998 (Finnish broadcast TV premiere). 87’ at /25 fps/ PAL speed = 90’ /24 fps/. Viewed in Helsinki on VHS Thursday 5 February 1998. **** Brutal gangster film creates an atmosphere of terror without actually wallowing in gore. The impact is due to taut cinematic storytelling and strong production. It’s about the mob war between Chicago and Kansas City ganglords. Lee Marvin is the hitman sent to settle scores with Gene Hackman. It’s about drug traffic and prostitution where a local orphanage is used to recruit fresh young victims to be doped and prostituted. Sissy Spacek in her debut is the victim Lee Marvin saves from white slavery. The film has eerie scenes in the cornfields and amongst the sunflowers. It is like no other gangster film. Michael Ritchie truly was a master in these years.