At under 90 minutes running time, Prime Cut (1972) is efficient and taut like its mob enforcer protagonist Nick (Lee Marvin, another great role as a measured tough). Yet there’s also an original streak of perverse humour throughout, more than likely helped by director Michael Ritchie (who’d go on to specialise further in comedy with classics like The Bad News Bears and Fletch). Mostly this perversity is based on the clash between the civilised big city gangsters immersing themselves in the garish hicksville of Kansas City. This is all on account of rebellious mobster Mary Ann (Gene Hackman, jocularly nasty) who owns a meat-packing plant and owes big money to the mob back in Chicago. Sissy Spacek, though, is basically ‘the girl’ (semi-nude, rescued, held by the hand running) meaning the gender politics are pretty antiquated here. Still, there are deft comic touches, tough guy posturing and effective action sequences (including a climax-anticipating drive-to-battle with atmospheric thunder in the distance, which I thought was quite gorgeous) to make for a pretty entertaining Lee Marvin flick. Recommended.
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