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From: moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer)
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: PRIZZI'S HONOR (Abstract Spoilers)
Message-ID: <738@vax2.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 22-Jun-85 05:49:30 EDT
Article-I.D.: vax2.738
Posted: Sat Jun 22 05:49:30 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Jun-85 03:20:21 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA
Lines: 37

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.
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