Product Details

• Actors: Lee Marvin, Gene Hackman, Angel Tompkins, Gregory Walcott, Sissy Spacek
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Fox Home Entertainme
• VHS Release Date: August 21, 1985
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000005QRV
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #273,322 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grade A, March 8, 2005

By 

JR Dunn (New Brunswick,, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Prime Cut [VHS] (VHS Tape)

They don't make 'em wilder than this.

"Prime Cut" is essentially the ancient fairy tale about the ogres preying on innocent maidens until the knight comes to town updated to a rural Kansas mob-war milieu. The chief ogre here is Mary Ann (not "Mother") a Great Plains gang leader played by Gene Hackman with the relish of a man who knows he may never see a role quite like this one again. His shaven-headed brother Weenie (Gregory Walcott) does things like run rival mobsters through meat-grinders and attack limos with pitchforks. The representative maiden is played by Sissy Spacek, back when she looked cute rather than merely odd. Lee Marvin plays the knight, flourishing a submachine gun while wearing a pricey 70s-style silver-gray suit.

None of which goes anywhere near far enough in relaying the serious strangeness of the thing. For that you need scenes like the one introducing Mary Ann tucking into a plate of beef guts ("I like 'em!"). Or the young gangster eagerly introducing boss Marvin to his mother. Or the shootout in a field of enormous sunflowers. Or Lee's visit to ex-mistress Clarabelle (I swear I'm not making up these names) who lives on a houseboat that looks as if it was designed by Christo collaborating with Heidi Fleiss. And I could go on.

Ritchie later made a number of innocuous comedies and Robert Redford vehicles of the "Downhill Racer" variety. But just once (the very late "Alleged Cheerleader-Murdering Texas Mom" being a partial exception), he got out of the cage and ran wild, and "Prime Cut" is the result. Compare it to Tarantino if you must, but if he or any of the other bravos has ever matched this, I haven't heard about it. "Prime Cut" is sui generis. They don't make 'em like this any more for the very simple reason that they never did in the first place. That's our loss.

...and oh yeah, I'll have mine well done.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lee Marvin Is Prime Cut When it comes to Action, April 27, 2000

By 

Gus Mauro "coolbrezze" (Brandon,mb) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Prime Cut [VHS] (VHS Tape)

A ENJOYABLE FILM DONE WITH THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF ACTION AND COMEDY. Lee Marvin one of the all time greats plays a chicago hitman who is hired to take down an old nemesis from kansas city, who has been invovled in the slave trading business. This film even by today's standards can still be considered a delight to see. the old time dixie music and the farmland scenery is a throwback to what life was like a long time ago. Gene Hackman plays "mary ann" the one who tries to compete in the slave industy. another standout was this was Sissy Spacek's film debut. As for lee marvin Hollywood lost an icon when he passed away. There will never be another Lee Marvin as far as i'm concerned. And when you see this film or any other of his films you'll see why.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Family Favorite, March 19, 2002

By 

M. Potter (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Prime Cut [VHS] (VHS Tape)

As a teenager of the 70's, my family used to attend movies together and we would often go to the latest John Wayne movie. Well, one double feature later we were watching Prime Cut. We were captured by the grittiness and good ol' boy syndrome of this film. The first part caused my family to give up hot dogs for about 10 years!!!! The action was so fascinating, for that time period, that you found yourself running across that wheat field with Marvin & Sissy. And Violet's nickels, the part they always cut out of TV showings. I know they tried to put out a series after the film, with Lawrence Luckinbill (Mr. Lucy Arnez)as the lead character, but it never really caught on. But we loved it then and we love it now. Hope you will too.