An interesting item on the resume of Michael Ritchie, the late director whose other credits include "Downhill Racer", "The Candidate", and "Fletch", the fast-paced and tongue-in-cheek crime drama "Prime Cut" succeeds at being an amusing piece of work. It's just sleazy and off kilter enough to make it a good if not memorable entertainment. It's well worth viewing for fans of the cast, establishing its tone early on when the mob in Chicago learn of the fate of one of their hired guns. Ritchie mines the rural settings for lots of atmosphere and uses the 2.35:1 aspect ratio to his advantage. There are also some real highlights in terms of action: a chase and a climactic shootout, both of which happen in fields. Enhancing all of it is a wonderful score by Lalo Schifrin.

Star Lee Marvin doesn't exactly have to stretch himself here, exuding that trademark cool as Nick Devlin, a mob enforcer assigned the task of collecting a debt from a Kansas rancher, played by Gene Hackman. (Another indication of this movie's tone is the fact that Hackman's character has a female name, Mary Ann!) Mary Ann doesn't want to pay his debt because he has no respect for the Chicago mafia. So Nick and a few others travel to Kansas City to pay Mary Ann a visit. Naturally, Mary Ann makes full use of his slaughterhouse, turning all of his enemies into cuts of meat! Nick also learns that his quarry is depraved enough to sell young girls as sex slaves, and rescues one of these girls, Poppy, played by the endearing Sissy Spacek.

Hackman's performance is great fun, and also appearing on screen are the delectable Angel Tompkins as Nick's former flame Clarabelle, Gregory Walcott as Mary Ann's thuggish brother "Weenie", Janit Baldwin as Poppy's friend Violet, and legendary police officer Eddie Egan as mob boss Jake. They all make this movie a pleasing diversion, one that, as previously mentioned, injects some trashy elements but never dwells too much on the darkness in the story. The big confrontation at the end is very moody and well done overall, and there's a satisfying wrap-up at the end.

Seven out of 10.

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.

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 ****