The defence The Auteur Devotee
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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Cutter's Way
Drama · Mystery · Thriller · 1981
Alex Cutter is a boozy, belligerent and deeply cynical Vietnam veteran whose encounter with a landmine during the war has left him minus an eye, a leg and an arm. When his drifter playboy friend Richard Bone is falsely accused of murder, Cutter sets out for revenge in his own inimitable style.
Movie details
Cutter's Way
“Cutter does everything his way. Fighting. Loving. Working. Tracking down a killer.”
1981 Drama · Mystery · Thriller 1h 49m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.5 / 10
Community rating
Alex Cutter is a boozy, belligerent and deeply cynical Vietnam veteran whose encounter with a landmine during the war has left him minus an eye, a leg and an arm. When his drifter playboy friend Richard Bone is falsely accused of murder, Cutter sets out for revenge in his own inimitable style.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Cutter's Way?
For the defence
The Auteur Devotee
“You watch the director, not the movie.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Ivan Passer
Written by
Jeffrey Alan Fiskin
Jeff Bridges
Richard Bone
John Heard
Alex Cutter
Lisa Eichhorn
Maureen Cutter, 'Mo'
Stephen Elliott
J. J. Cord
Arthur Rosenberg
George Swanson
Nina van Pallandt
Woman in the Hotel
Ann Dusenberry
Valerie Duran
Court is in session
Put Cutter's Way on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.