Cutter's Way (1981)

Richard spots a man dumping a body, and decides to expose the man he thinks is the culprit with his friend Alex Cutter.

Director:

Ivan Passer

Writers:

Newton Thornburg (novel), Jeffrey Alan Fiskin (screenplay)

Stars:

Jeff Bridges, John Heard, Lisa Eichhorn

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Bridges	...	Richard Bone
John Heard	...	Alex Cutter
Lisa Eichhorn	...	'Mo'
Ann Dusenberry	...	Valerie Duran
Stephen Elliott	...	J. J. Cord
Arthur Rosenberg	...	George Swanson
Nina van Pallandt	...	Woman in the Hotel (as Nina Van Pallandt)
Patricia Donahue	...	Mrs. Cord
Geraldine Baron	...	Susie Swanson
Katherine Pass	...	Toyota Woman
Francis X. McCarthy	...	Toyota Man (as Frank McCarthy)
George Planco	...	Toyota Cop
Jay Fletcher	...	Cord Security Guard
George Dickerson	...	Mortician
Jack Murdock	...	Concession Owner

Storyline

Alex Cutter (Heard) came back from war minus an eye, a leg, and an arm and mad as hell. He lacks direction, drinks too much, and abuses his wife (Eichhorn). One night his friend Richard Bone (Bridges) witnesses someone dumping something in an alley; it turns out to be the body of a young girl. When Cutter hears about it, he embarks on a crusade to expose the killer, enlisting the help of the murdered girl's sister. Bone reluctantly joins them. Are they right or are they in search of their white whale?

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Plot Keywords:

vigilantism | vietnam war veteran | amusement park | friend | houseboat | 

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Taglines:

Alex Cutter had a fantasy...one of his friends could not escape.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 February 1982 (France)

Also Known As:

Cutter and Bone

Filming Locations:

800 Alvarado Place, Santa Barbara, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,729,274

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gurian Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's original title, also the title of the movie's source novel, "Cutter and Bone", refers to the two names of the film's two lead characters, Alex Cutter (John Heard) and Richard Bone (Jeff Bridges).

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Goofs

Valerie's disappearance is never explained neither noted by the main characters.

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Quotes

Alex Cutter: I watched the war on TV just like everyone else, okay? Thought the same damn things. You know, what you thought when you saw a picture of a young woman with a baby lying face down in a ditch. Two gooks. You had three reactions Rich. Same as everybody else. First one was real easy. I hate the United States of America. Yeah.
[snickers]
Alex Cutter: You see the same damn thing the next day and you move up a notch. There is no God. But you know what you finally say, what everybody finally says. No matter what. ...
[...]

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Connections

References Gone with the Wind (1939)

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Soundtracks

We're Old Enough to Know
Music by Jack Nitzsche
Lyrics by John Byrum
Vocals by Jack Nitzsche

User Reviews

Superb latter-day Noir

This is an excellent movie and one of the most consistently underrated. John Heard has never been better, and he is (alongside the late J.T. Walsh) amongst the most under-appreciated actors ever (one of the few mistakes in 'The Sopranos' was to let him go). However, Jeff Bridges yet again proves his credentials by turning in a beautifully nuanced performance as an unattractive, self-absorbed failed playboy in counterpoint to Heard's righteous crippled Vietnam veteran.

This is a companion piece to 'Chinatown' in its study of corrupt power structures, but is more intimate and believable (and 'Chinatown' is superb). We still wait for its recent equal in the noir stakes.