Cutter’s Way

Summary

“These are just the facts, Rich. I haven’t even begun to let my imagination loose on this one.”

A few years ago, Fun City Editions released an excellent Blu-ray of Ivan Passer’s brilliant 1981 film Cutter’s Way. It had actually been released on Blu-ray a few years prior by one of my favorite film labels, Twilight Time. Twilight Time had disbanded after the unfortunate death of founder Nick Redman. I was lucky enough to correspond with Nick until his passing, and have been lucky enough to stay in contact with Julie Kirgo in the years since. I was elated to see that Radiance Film was updating a film that both Twilight Time and Fun City Editions had championed and that the excellent Nick Redman and Julie Kirgo commentary was intact on this release. The Fun City version featured a 2K restoration from the 35mm interpositive, alongside some excellent special features and numerous archival featurettes. Radiance Films’ edition includes all of those special features, alongside features from an Imprint release of the film, and one brand new feature. Given the fantastic transfer of the picture, and the feast of features provided, I believe that this release will stand the test of time as the definitive way to own and experience Cutter’s Way.

One of my favorite film genres is film noir, and I love the ways in which noir was reinterpreted in the Seventies and Eighties. Cutter’s Way is an excellent example of a sun baked noir, and fits in properly with revisionist noir films like Altman’s The Long Goodbye or Night Moves. I would rank Cutter’s Way high on my list of neo-noirs, and it was a joy to revisit the picture again in 4K.

In Santa Barbara, California, Richard Bone (Jeff Bridges) is a rake and a drifter. He meets women and sleeps with them while they are on vacation, enjoying their generosity of food or drink. In a hotel room, he is accosted on this front by his latest conquest and he slips out to the beach. When his car breaks down in an alley, Bone witnesses a man throwing something large into a trash can before quickly driving away. Bone does not think much of it, and meets with his friend Alex Cutter (John Heard) and Alex’s wife Maureen (Lisa Eichhorn) who goes by Mo. Bone has been staying with Cutter and Mo while working as a boat salesman for their mutual friend George Swanson (Arthur Rosenberg.) Alex is a Vietnam vet who has suffered injuries that have left him missing a leg, an arm, and an eye. He is also a drunkard. The next day it is reported that a young girl named Vicky Duran’s body was found in the trash can. Bone is brought in as a suspect in the murder. While watching the Founder’s Day Parade with Mo and Cutter, Bone identifies a man as having been the person he saw dumping the body. The man he points out to Cutter is oil baron J.J. Cord (Stephen Elliott.) Alex, Richard, and Mo begin investigating J.J. with hopes of solving the murder. They bring in Vicky’s sister Val and hatch a plan that involves blackmail with hopes of ultimately exposing J.J. as the killer.

Cutter’s Way is based on a novel titled Cutter and Bone by Newton Thornburg. Ivan Passer worked with screenwriter Jeffrey Alan Fiskin to craft a film that served as a character study of the disillusioned post-Vietnam generation, a time capsule of Santa Barbara, California, while still adhering to the noir plot of the novel. It is a very well balanced and unsentimental picture which rewards audiences on repeat viewings. The film has an extremely memorable finale that lends to discussion of the picture long after the last reel. At the time of the film’s release, critics were divided on the film’s merits. I can not understand for the life of me what could have kept the film critics from appreciating Cutter’s Way’s genius. Luckily, the film has been reappraised in the years since its release in numerous editions including Radiance’s 4K release.

The largest issues that critics took with the film involved director Ivan Passer’s strategy of focusing on the characters much more than on the mystery at the core of the plot. The film’s willingness to be somewhat ambiguous was looked at as a weakness at the time. In my opinion, the decisions made in the film make it stand out from the crowd and much more interesting. Ivan Passer was more interested in exploring the intricacies of Vietnam veteran Cutter’s psyche than he was in solving a mystery that he obviously only felt was tangential to the interesting dynamics in the relationships between the three lead characters. The ending of the film is where I think Cutter’s Way drew the most fire from critics. The ending makes deliberate artistic statement from Passer and screenwriter Jeffrey Alan Fiskin that some critics absolutely hated. Does everything have to be wrapped up in a bow for a film to be successful? Did they truly need a full denouement to understand the film? I would argue that Cutter’s Way becomes more interesting because of the loose ends it does not fully address, and I also don’t think that the picture leaves that much to the imagination if you are paying attention. The picture could sit comfortably on the same shelf as a  contemporary of the paranoid and conspiratorial filmmaking that Alan J. Pakula specialized in during the Seventies (The Parallax View, All The President’s Men, Klute.)

Ivan Passer directed Cutter’s Way with a strong sense of visual style with cinematographer Jordan Cronenberg’s help. The setting of Santa Barbara, California comes alive from the way the picture is lensed. All of the actors in the film turn in great performances under Passer’s direction. The performance by John Heard stands out in particular. It is exceptional. Heard threw himself into the role of the psychologically and physically damaged Alex Cutter. It had to be an incredibly difficult part to play with his limbs hidden from sight without the help of the digital trickery that would be mastered a decade later in Forrest Gump. The high energy necessary to deliver the character’s lines and movements must have taken a toll on the actor. He is magnificent in the film. It’s a truly unforgettable role for the actor who sadly passed away far too soon from a heart attack. Jeff Bridges is perfectly cast as the rakish Richard Bone. Bridges’ handsome looks and low key personality make him a perfect fit for the role. He is truly great in the picture – emotive but never overreaching. Lisa Eichhorn also brings her role of Maureen to life realistically. The interactions between the three main actors are extremely convincing. The non traditional romance in the film is notable. Ann Dusenberry rounds out the cast as Valerie.

Cutter’s Way is one of my favorite releases from Radiance Films thus far. It is an exceptional sunbaked noir that offers great performances, compelling writing, and strong direction. It sustains a noir mood for the duration of the film while exploring the wounds felt by the generation from experiencing the Vietnam War. It is a really deep and satisfying experience that sticks with you long after the credits roll. I know that I will return to it time and again. I highly encourage checking Cutter’s Way out, and if you own prior releases, this 4K edition is well worth the upgrade.

Video

Cutter’s Way comes to 4K. While Fun City Editions’ excellent Blu-ray was drawn from a brand new (at the time) 2K transfer from its 35mm interpositive, Radiance Films has performed a brand new 4K transfer for this release. 

Release notes state:

“Cutter’s Way was scanned in 4K resolution at Illuminate Hollywood in Studio City, California. The film has been meticulously restored and colour graded in 4K HDR (Dolby Vision), at FilmFinity, London, working from a new 4K 16 bit scans of the original 35mm camera negative. FilmFinity’s Digital Restoration Specialists used advanced image processing tools to remove many thousands of instances of dirt, erase scratches and gently correct age related imperfections frame by frame. Paired with the new HDR grade, this restoration reveals striking clarity and depth while staying true to the film’s original photographic character. No grain management, edge enhancement or artificial sharpening tools were use at any stage, preserving the authentic texture of the cinematography.”

Cutter’s Way is presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. This is the healthiest presentation of the film yet and it should please any fans of the movie. Grain is filmic and very well resolved and the color timing is true to the source. Fans of the picture are going to enjoy the improvements to the already well received FCE edition.

Audio

Radiance has provided the same DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono track in English that was featured on the FCE release. The score is fairly subtle and the dialogue comes across crystal clear. I had no issues with this track. It is a good representation of the original source material. 

Supplements:

• UHD:
• Commentary #1 features author Matthew Specktor.
• Commentary #2 features film historians Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman. I was elated to see that this commentary was brought over from the former Twilight Time disc. The commentaries from that label always made me smile like hearing from two old friends. I hope that as their other titles in the Twilight Time catalog get picked up by distributors they will take the same approach and preserve the Twilight Time commentaries.
• Commentary #3 features assistant director Larry Franco and production manager Barrie Osborne.
• Blu-Ray:
• Commentary #1 features author Matthew Specktor.
• Commentary #2 features film historians Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman. I was elated to see that this commentary was brought over from the former Twilight Time disc. The commentaries from that label always made me smile like hearing from two old friends. I hope that as their other titles in the Twilight Time catalog get picked up by distributors they will take the same approach and preserve the Twilight Time commentaries.
• Commentary #3 features assistant director Larry Franco and production manager Barrie Osborne.
• “Piety, Patriotism and Violence: The Legacy of Cutter and Bone” – this new feature specifically for the Radiance release features writers Megan Abbott, Jordan Harper and George Pelecanos discussing the novel and the film.
• “Mo’s Way” – actress Lisa Eichhorn discusses her start in the business and the roles she played which eventually led to her part in Cutter’s Way. 
• “The Wound” – director Ivan Passer discusses the development of Cutter’s Way from script to final product. There is a great story about how Jeff Bridges’ pit bull bit producer Paul Gurian, which guaranteed he would take the roll. Fans of the film will be happy to see this extensive interview.
• Interview – in an audio only chat, star Jeff Bridges discusses his personal affection for the film and the cast. It’s a brief piece but enjoyable.
• “Two Plus One” – my favorite feature on this disc is an interview with screenwriter Jeffrey Alan Fiskin who discusses the process of being brought on by producer Paul Gurian to write the script from the novel Cutter and Bone and how he worked with Ivan Passer to shape the script into something incredibly special. Don’t skip this feature.
• “Cutter and Bone to Cutter’s Way” – this is an audio-only discussion of United Artists Classics with former employee Ira Deutchman. This is a pretty interesting look at the marketing efforts by United Artists to market their films after their original theatrical release.
• “Gurian’s Way” – in this video conference interview with Paul Gurian, the producer of the film talks at length about the development of the novel into the finalized picture. Another good piece.
• “Cut to the Bone” – an audio only discussion of Cutter’s Way with music editor Curt Sobel.
• “Cutter’s Way” – an appreciation piece from director Bertrand Tavernier.
• Image Gallery
• Isolated Score
• Theatrical Trailers for “Cutter’s Way” and “Cutter and Bone”
• This release comes in a very attractive slip box featuring artwork by Tom Ralston with writings by Nick Pinkerton, Christina Newland, and Travis Woods along with an interview with Ivan Passer. Radiance does an exceptional job on these booklets and this is one of their best looking releases yet.

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4/5

Supplements – 5/5

Overall – 5/5

Cutter’s Way is a low-key masterpiece. Ivan Passer crafted an incredibly compelling film that serves as a capably crafted sunbaked noir, but also dives deep into the psychological scars experienced by the Vietnam War generation. The performances are exceptional – especially John Heard’s legendary performance as Alex Cutter. Fun City Editions gave the film a fantastic Blu-ray release a few years back, but Radiance Films has given Cutter’s Way an amazing new 4K edition that ranks as one of the best releases of this year. Radiance’s release includes a new supplement alongside the supplements that were found on the Twilight Time, Fun City, and Imprint Films. Fans of Night Moves, The Parallax View, and The Long Goodbye will find a lot to love about this film. The movie stays with you long after its credits roll, and it becomes even better on repeat viewings. Radiance’s 4K UHD release stands as the definitive edition of this wonderful film and easily earns our highest recommendation.