In July 2021 on Criterion, I watched Cutter’s Way, a 1981 noir film starring Jeff Bridges and John Heard and directed by Ivan Passer. The basic plot is that Bridges is this random guy in L.A. who sees someone dumping a body, which turns out to be a murdered teen girl, and he and his alcoholic Vietnam vet friend (Heard), plus the victim’s sister, are playing detective and trying to uncover this murder mystery.
It’s a bit of a rough watch, as Heard’s character, Alex Cutter, is a racist and ugly person who starts off the movie completely unlikable, but is given more complexity and depth in his lucid moments when sober, and is more understandable, if not forgiven for his asshole moments, like his character introduction or his abuse towards his tired, put-upon wife (Lisa Eichhorn). John Heard was very good, even if it was unusual to see him do this whole character with a rough voice, eyepatch, limp, cane, and angry alcoholic attitude, and be better known within a decade later for yuppie douchebag characters in Big and Home Alone. Though he was good in his run on The Sopranos. And I agree with an old review a friend wrote that Gary Sinise did this kind of character better in Forrest Gump.
I forgot how hot Jeff Bridges was back in his youth, he was all lean and cut. Though I think his peak hotness was in the early 90s, with long hair in The Fisher King and Fearless. His character was fine, someone who seemed more like a layabout and with nothing really going on in his life, like not much better than his loser friend outside of his good looks and laid-back attitude.
I liked the early 80s hazy look of this noir film, and how the story’s resolution felt hopeless, like no real winners or sense of vengeance.
No comments:
Post a Comment