Flick of The Day: Cutter's Way

In contrast to some of the ground breaking films of the 1970s that we have looked at thus far such as Jaws, The French Connection and Blue Collar, the 1980's were very much a step back for the New Hollywood movement. Directors like Friedkin, Coppola and Cimino that had soared so high in the '70s one by one foundered on the rocks of the studio system. Indeed Michael Cimino managed to make a film so stupefyingly dull and expensive that it brought down a whole studio. So it was that the 1980s became a decade of studios playing it safe with a string of sequels and action pictures. There were exceptions of course, and today's film was one of them, Cutter's Way.

Cutter's Way

Set in the Californian community of Santa Barbara, one of America's wealthiest enclaves set between the mountains and the sea, Cutter's Way is a tale of damaged people, murder and despair in the sunshine. Three old friends live together on the margins of this beach community, disaffected and bitter at the fact that they are on the outside. Richard Bone, wonderfully played by Jeff Bridges, is an ageing gigolo gradually coming to the realisation that his looks won't keep him employed forever. Maureen Cutter, an alcoholic who is sticking by her husband Alex despite the fact that he is slowly stripping away her dignity. Alex Cutter, in a career best performance from John Heard, is a crippled Vietnam  vet who wallows in whiskey and self loathing. 

One night while driving home in the rain, Bone's ageing car breaks down in a alleyway. As he sits wondering what to do, a car pulls into the alley and a man gets out, depositing something in a bin before speeding off. As Bone walks home in the rain, we see a women's foot hanging out of the bin. The next morning the police turn up at his door, a young woman has been murdered. Bone relates his tale to the police and is released. He meets up with his friends Alex and Maureen and as Bone tells them the story, a parade passes by. One of the local grandees, JJ Cord is taking part and as he rides by on a horse, Bone suddenly realises that he is the man he saw in the rain. He quickly tells Alex and together they begin to investigate Cord, with Bone a reluctant participant at first. They band together with Valerie, who is the sister of the murdered woman, and plot to blackmail Cord with the intention of turning him in if he pays up. Of course, not all is at it seems, and until the final scene of the film, you are unsure whether Cord is a guilty man or an innocent man being blackmailed.

Alex becomes obsessed with proving that Cord is guilty as much out of bitterness as catching a killer. The film moves slowly toward a thrilling conclusion but it is as much a character study of a group of people who have been damaged by how their lives have turned out and now exist on the margins of society.

"I don't drink. You know, the routine grind drives me to drink. Tragedy, I take straight"

Cutter rages at the world around him often without any real target, Bone is disaffected and seemingly unwilling to commit to anything, preferring to drift. Maureen is perhaps the most beaten down of three, resigned to her fate. All three make interesting studies and are an interesting counterpoint to the go-go 80's characters in other films of this era. It is hard to believe that Gordon Gekko exists in the same decade as these people.

Overall, this is a great film, driven by some very strong performances particularly from John Heard with a fine script. It is worth seeing if only for Heard's performance, though it has a great story which will keep you thinking after the credit's roll.