Cutter's Way is a terrific film based on a novel by Newton Thornburg. The book, which I reviewed on this blog seven years ago is called Cutter and Bone and I don't think that changing the title for the film was necessary. The script, which won an Edgar for Jeffrey Alan Fiskin, changes some key elements of the book, including the under-stated (and very chilling) finale, but it works well. The director, Ivan Passer, also did a very good job.
The cast is superb. Jeff Bridges is at his best playing Richard Bone, the good-looking drifter who thinks he has seen someone dumping a young woman's body in a trash can. John Heard delivers a powerful performance as Alex Cutter, the severely disabled Vietnam vet who is psychologically damaged by his life experiences. Lisa Eichhorn plays Mo, Cutter's alcoholic wife (whom Bone has always adored) and she handles a challenging role brilliantly. When Cutter decides that the murderer is a rich and powerful local man, he hatches a blackmail plot. Does he want money or justice, or both? Or does he simply want a reason to go on living?
The studio that made the film lost faith in it and gave it little marketing support. Initial reviews were negative - amazingly, to my mind - but before long its quality was recognised. The film isn't quite as subtle as Thornburg's novel (which I think is as good as the very best of Chandler and Hammett, although it's very different from their books), but the strong characterisation and accomplished acting mean that it maintains a firm grip from start to finish.
I admire the way both the film and the novel combine in-depth, credible characterisation with a searing look at the sleazy compromises of post-Vietnam American society while delivering thoughtful, high-calibre entertainment. Both film and book are masterly and I'm surprised that they are not discussed more often. If you aren't familiar with them, you'll have gathered that I recommend them unreservedly.
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