Watch Cut and Run For Free

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Originally intended for American horror-meister Wes Craven – which probably explains the presence of Michael Berryman from his THE HILLS HAVE EYES movies – this was eventually made by controversial Italian exploitation film-maker Deodato (with whom I have had the pleasure of a long chat around 03:00a.m. at the 2004 Venice Film Festival) as an unofficial last entry in his "Cannibal" trilogy! While I'm no fan of the previous two (in fact, I similarly awarded them ** apiece), it's easy to concede that this is the least of the bunch despite (or perhaps because of) the bigger budget and relatively decent cast accorded it. Apparently, the presence of so many English-speaking actors – Berryman, Richard Lynch, Karen Black, Lisa Blount, Willie Aames, Richard Bright, Eriq La Salle, Penny Brown – required the film to be shot in English in direct sound (a rarity for Italian productions) but I'm a stickler for seeing movies in their native language and thus I opted to watch the film in Italian (despite the presence of a cobbled-together English-language soundtrack on the Anchor Bay DVD which reportedly reverts to the Italian one for certain 'lost' sections)! Anyhow, it's virtually impossible not to think of Lynch's character – an American Colonel 'finding' himself in the Amazonian jungles at the head of a tribe of cut-throats – as having been modeled on Marlon Brando's incoherent turn in APOCALYPSE NOW (1979) but Deodato is much too interested in filming extreme gore (copious decapitations, one disembowelment and Steiner's character literally being split in two!) and his current girlfriend (Valentina Forte) in the nude to let such comparisons or pretensions bother him in the slightest. As usual with Euro-Cult fare, the music is a standout and ex-Goblin Claudio Simonetti's disco-tinged score here is no exception.

Cut and Run (1985) ** (out of 4) A TV reporter tries to crack the American war on drugs so she travels to Columbia where she encounters the drug war mixed with a crazed vet and some cannibals. This was director Ruggero Deodato's third "cannibal/jungle" film following Man From Deep River and the infamous Cannibal Holocaust and this here is certainly the weakest of the group. The film is way too slow and boring and there are way too many different ideas trying to be done in the film. The so called "message" of wars on drugs doesn't do the trick either. Lisa Blount, Richard Lynch, Karen Black and Michael Berryman star. The only real reason to watch this is for gore hounds because there are plenty of gory decapitations and one scene where a man is split in half.

Cut and Run is one of Deodato's strangest films due to the bizarre mix of genres. The film balances horror, action and adventure elements with gritty cocaine smuggling and hostage situation subplots. There is even an Apocalypse Now inspired crazy Colonel living with natives in the jungle. To say that the film bites off more than it can chew is an understatement, but that the fact that the film works at all is a great testament to Deodato's unique talent.There is little point passing comment on the film's plot because it virtually makes no sense. There is, for example, no explanation at how the Indian killings in the Amazon jungle simultaneously take place in Miami and the entire subplot involving Colonel Horne remains a mystery. The jumbled plot does have the advantage of giving Deodato the opportunity to dabble in different genres and he shows yet again why he is such an underrated filmmaker. Deodato's direction is technically brilliant and he brings his usual sense of flair to the film's action and horror set pieces. The dramatic moments are less successfully handled and unusually for a Deodato film, some sentimentality creeps in towards the end of the film.The film really picks up every time the Indians attack. Horror fans might be annoyed by the infrequency of the gore, but when the killings do occur, Deodato does not disappoint. There are beheadings, spears through the neck, darts in the neck and one of Deodato's best ever deaths when a man is literally ripped limb from limb (according to Deodato, inspired by the Vietcong). Part of the fun is watching legendary genre actor Michael Berryman camping it up as a demented Indian. He has several great moments in what is one of his more memorable roles. The other actors are also pretty good. Lisa Blount makes an impression as Fran and Richard Lynch always does a good job of acting crazy, making a perfect Colonel Horne.Also worth a mention are Claudio Simonetti's great synth score and the beautiful photography of the jungle landscape (Venezuela doubling for Colombia). Fans of Deodato should check out the accompanying "Uncut and Run" documentary in which Deodato rather amusingly talks about the shoot, stealing Wes Craven's job as the director and even bluntly says which actors he did not enjoy working with. Cut and Run might lack cohesion but it remains a highly enjoyable minor work from a truly great director.

Not a cannibal in sight in this jungle, but that doesn't keep the almighty Rugero Deodato from making another nasty action movie, largely set in sweltering swamps and amidst brutal savages. The plot is weak compared to "Cannibal Holocaust" and a lot less shocking, but the action is merciless and exclusively meant for people with a strong stomach. Two journalists, specialized in drug stories, go on a jungle mission to unravel a network of drug transportation, led by a pivot figure who presumable died a couple of years earlier. Meanwhile, they also have to search for the son of a media tycoon who was kidnapped and hold prisoner in the same jungle. This is pure exploitation-gold with an excellent score, ingenious camera-work and very raw editing. Michael Berryman, the creep from "The Hills Have Eyes", has a staggering supportive role as – surprise, surprise – an insane madman. Don't bother too much about the lame acting and many plot holes, this is undemanding but fun stuff!