leeper@mtgzz.UUCP (m.r.leeper) (06/18/85)
PRIZZI'S HONOR
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
One of the classic names of American cinema is John Huston. He has
worked in the cinema since he worked on the screenplay of the 1932 MURDERS
IN THE RUE MORGUE. Besides being a familiar face in the films like
CHINATOWN, he has directed such classics as TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE,
KEY LARGO, THE AFRICAN QUEEN, and THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING. He is still
out there making films of some seriousness for the viewer over 30. In the
middle of the summer's fluff films, he has released PRIZZI'S HONOR, a comedy
that turns out to be more than a comedy.
The ads for PRIZZI'S HONOR indicate that it is a light comedy about two
people who fall in love without realizing that each is a hired killer. That
seems like an odd premise for a comedy, though the comedies PAIN IN THE
A..and its American remake BUDDY, BUDDY have also attempted to be light
comedies involving hired killers as main characters. Well, don't believe
the ads. The first hour of PRIZZI'S HONOR certainly has a fair amount of
comedy, but by the second half the fun is abandoned and we are left with a
serious story of crime family politics and back-stabbing like out of some
sort of co-operation between Lillian Hellman and Mario Puzo.
The lovers are played by Kathleen Turner and Jack Nicholson, and an
odder couple it is difficult to imagine. It is never really clear what the
appealing Miss Turner sees in the fat, balding, New-York-accented Nicholson.
The Nicholson character is so unappealing that the viewer tends to assume
that Turner is pulling some sort of a scam. There is absolutely no
chemistry between the characters on the screen. In fact, the most engaging
character on the screen is William Hickey as the Patrone of the crime
family. It isn't easy taking Hickey seriously in the role, as he usually
plays a young man with a funny voice. Still, as the wizened head of a crime
family, he is the most charismatic character in the film. The character's
failing exterior causes the viewer to vastly underrate the keen mind of the
character, who deftly pulls the strings for the entire family. Huston's
daughter, Anjelica Huston, plays Nicholson's former girlfriend, who after a
disagreement with her gangster father is trying to work her way back into
the good graces of the crime family.
In reality, PRIZZI'S HONOR will disappoint some with its uneven tone.
Those who expect to rest their minds with a farce will find themselves lured
by the second half into a complex film of some intrigue and a fair dose of
violence. Even fans of the "Godfather" films may find themselves taxed to
keep track of who is doing what to whom, or even just who is who. On the -4
to +4 scale, PRIZZI'S HONOR is a high +1.
Mark R. Leeper
...ihnp4!mtgzz!leepermoriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer) (06/22/85)
It's a trick, responding to pre-film publicity. I mean, I KNOW who John
Huston is; hell, anyone with his track record deserves any idolation he
gets. And I know every critic west of Siberia think's PRIZZI'S HONOR is a
helluva film. And I had a good time with this film -- it is never boring,
not for one single second, and watching the actors is one of the best
spectators sports I can imagine. But... this suffers from the same malady
WINTER KILLS, the earlier film by the same author and screenwriter as
PRIZZI'S HONOR (and starring John Huston), which is, where the the
outrageous comedy stops and the drama begins. The first hour and a half is
really very funny comedy. Kathleen Turner and Jack Nicholson make a husband
& wife team of assasins look very appealing indeed; there are lots of
wonderful bit parts, with the fellow playing the elderly head don of the
crime family Nicholson works for doing a standout performance. His
wheelding, now-child-now-leader manner is hysterical, and his voice reminds
me of a cross between Yoda and Jose Jiminez ("Do you want a cookie?"). The
plot is also not as complicated as others have mentioned before, but then,
ANYTHING looks clear compared to WINTER KILLS. I was enjoying myself quite
a bit through this.
Then, during the last hour, we turn from very drawn-out (but well-performed)
black comedy to the same characters in dramatic situations. And it just
does not work. Turner & Nicholson are fun to watch together because,
really, they play their roles very broadly. And suddenly, we have this deal
about whether Nicholson can choose between home and The Family.
A good $3 movie, but not a great film.
"You are still dead, then?"
"Oh yeah, hey, totally."
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc.
UUCP:
{cornell,decvax,ihnp4,sdcsvax,tektronix,utcsri}!uw-beaver \
{allegra,gatech!sb1,hplabs!lbl-csam,decwrl!sun,ssc-vax} -- !fluke!moriarty
ARPA:
fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPArs@mirror.UUCP (06/27/85)
This is taken from a paragraph in the "Metropolitan Diary"
section of the _New_York_Times_, 6/26:
John Huston's acclaimed new film stars Jack
Nicholson and Kathleen Turned and is called
"Prizzi's Honor." Except on West 42d Street,
that is. There, where things are not so
honorable, the Empire Theater marquee bills
the movie as "Prizzi's Killers" and adds
"Horrifying Gruesome Bloody" for good measure.
BTW, has anybody seen this movie yet? It's gotten amazing
reviews...
--
Rich $alz {mit-eddie, ihnp4!inmet, wjh12, cca, datacube} !mirror!rs
Mirror Systems 2067 Massachusetts Ave.
617-661-0777 Cambridge, MA, 02140leeper@mtgzz.UUCP (m.r.leeper) (07/04/85)
>This is taken from a paragraph in the "Metropolitan Diary" >section of the _New_York_Times_, 6/26: > > John Huston's acclaimed new film stars Jack > Nicholson and Kathleen Turned and is called > "Prizzi's Honor." Except on West 42d Street, > that is. There, where things are not so > honorable, the Empire Theater marquee bills > the movie as "Prizzi's Killers" and adds > "Horrifying Gruesome Bloody" for good measure. I don't know which of the theaters on W42nd is the Empire, but one of the theaters I passed in that area listed EXCALIBUR when it was still a new film and said under it "It's new. It's raunchy!" In both cases I know exactly what they are referring to, it is a single scene in each film and they are using some poetic license to sell tickets. > >BTW, has anybody seen this movie yet? It's gotten amazing >reviews... > It was reviewed on the net a while back. Yes, it is a fairly good film. I think I gave it a high +1 on the -4 to +4 scale. Mark Leeper ...ihnp4!mtgzz!leeper
rlp@cbosgd.UUCP (Bob Platt) (07/06/85)
In article <738@vax2.fluke.UUCP> moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer) writes: >I know every critic west of Siberia think's PRIZZI'S HONOR is a >helluva film. And I had a good time with this film -- it is never boring, >not for one single second... The movie opens with one of the most boring sequences I have ever had to sit through in a movie. You are given a documentary view of a wedding that is almost as bad as having to attend the real thing! Joe Knapp (cbosgd!nscs!jmk)
leeper@mtgzz.UUCP (m.r.leeper) (09/13/85)
I was asked to mail this review to someone who it seems my system cannot reach by mail. Sorry to repost it. PRIZZI'S HONOR A film review by Mark R. Leeper One of the classic names of American cinema is John Huston. He has worked in the cinema since he worked on the screenplay of the 1932 Murders in the Rue Morgue. Besides being a familiar face in the films like Chinatown, he has directed such classics as Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Key Largo, The African Queen, and The Man Who Would Be King. He is still out there making films of some seriousness for the viewer over 30. In the middle of the summer's fluff films, he has released Prizzi's Honor, a comedy that turns out to be more than a comedy. The ads for Prizzi's Honor indicate that it is a light comedy about two people who fall in love without realizing that each is a hired killer. That seems like an odd premise for a comedy, though the comedies Pain in the A..and its American remake Buddy, Buddy have also attempted to be light comedies involving hired killers as main characters. Well, don't believe the ads. The first hour of Prizzi's Honor certainly has a fair amount of comedy, but by the second half the fun is abandoned and we are left with a serious story of crime family politics and back-stabbing like out of some sort of co-operation between Lillian Hellman and Mario Puzo. The lovers are played by Kathleen Turner and Jack Nicholson, and an odder couple it is difficult to imagine. It is never really clear what the appealing Miss Turner sees in the fat, balding, New-York-accented Nicholson. The Nicholson character is so unappealing that the viewer tends to assume that Turner is pulling some sort of a scam. There is absolutely no chemistry between the characters on the screen. In fact, the most engaging character on the screen is William Hickey as the Patrone of the crime family. It isn't easy taking Hickey seriously in the role, as he usually plays a young man with a funny voice. Still, as the wizened head of a crime family, he is the most charismatic character in the film. The character's failing exterior causes the viewer to vastly underrate the keen mind of the character, who deftly pulls the strings for the entire family. Huston's daughter, Anjelica Huston, plays Nicholson's former girlfriend, who after a disagreement with her gangster father is trying to work her way back into the good graces of the crime family. In reality, Prizzi's Honor will disappoint some with its uneven tone. Those who expect to rest their minds with a farce will find themselves lured by the second half into a complex film of some intrigue and a fair dose of violence. Even fans of the "Godfather" films may find themselves taxed to keep track of who is doing what to whom, or even just who is who. On the -4 to +4 scale, Prizzi's Honor is a high +1.