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:

On March 20, 1981 a film titled "Cutter and Bone" opened in New York. In the months that followed the film became a legend.

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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

Before the production started for this film, Ivan Passer and producer Paul Gurian went to Jeff Bridges's house to ask him if he agreed to play Bone's character. But after both entered into Bridge's property, the actor's dog, a big German shepherd, attacked Gurian and bit him at the jaw. Gurian nearly died. Jeff Bridges later confessed that, after this accident,,he had no choice to accept the role if he wanted to avoid to be sued for several millions dollars.

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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

Referenced in Die schlechtesten Filme aller Zeiten: Sharknado (2014)

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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

Don Quixote At The Country Club

Cutter's Way cannot be overpraised. This movie is a masterpiece of the first order. Ivan Passer, a compatriot of Milos Forman, came to the USA as an experienced Czech movie director. Not unlike Alfred Hitchcock or some German directors 30 years before him, he seems to have made a thorough analysis of the American social conditions and general manners. He then transformed his findings into movies. Two of them I know deal with New York. They are appropriately gritty. The setting of Cutter's way is a Californian beach community for the rich and beautiful – and the movie is appropriately glossy. The whole story takes place in those paradisiac locales. They are presented like an enchanted kingdom, a country of its own.

Under the glossy surface, there is a darker side to the place. There is prostitution, drug abuse and murder. Cutter, living on the fringes of the enchanted kingdom, sees that more clearly than everyone else. He has his own code of chivalry by which he wants to live. He develops conspirational theories and strains to convert them into hard facts. The world around him, populated by indifferent, amoral rich and beautiful people, does not understand him, does not even want to listen, laughs at him. So Cutter mounts a white stallion and rides a charge.

Repeatedly the film slips into surrealistic situations, in which the impression made on the viewers is more relevant than the storyline. This technique was well known in the forties (e.g. in film noir), present day audience are less used to it. In the earlier days of film making, surrealism was created on a soundstage, and the change between reality and "dream" became immediately clear. Passer uses real locations for situations removed from reality – a daring experiment that rewards the viewers with hauntingly beautiful pictures but might also confuse many. The director took this risk and we are rewarded with a magnificent picture about a distinguished slice of America. I predict: Cutter‘s way will one day become an honored classic.