Review of Prime Cut (1972) by Eleanor M — 26 Jun 2010

This is probably one of the sleaziest movies that's ever been released by a major studio and featured big-name actors, and there is no chance in hell a film like this would get made today; "Prime Cut" contains everything from dead people getting ground into hot dogs and naked young girls being put on display and sold off like cattle in a barn! That said, it's an incredibly entertaining piece of sleaze and one of the more unusual and offbeat crime melodramas you've ever seen and the B-list material is completely elevated by the A-list talents of the cast and the filmmakers.

Lee Marvin shows why he's one of the coolest movie stars of all time as he even makes the simple act of locking a door seem badass, Sissy Spacek makes a very memorable film debut as a very naive, exploited young girl, and Gene Hackman and Gregory Walcott (best known as the hero from "Plan 9 From Outer Space"!) make wonderfully hateful villains.

The whole thing moves at a brink pace, features many unique and colourful characters and locations, and contains a number of memorable setpieces, the highlight being a chase sequence that climaxes with the amazing sight of a car being chewed up by a combine!