Classic Movie Of The Week 2017

Classic Movie Of The Week: Prizzi’s Honor (1985)

HermioneFlavia

prizzis_honor

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Kathleen Turner, Angelica Huston, Robert Loggia

Director: John Huston

In this dark comedy about doomed romance, Jack Nicholson stars as a hitman for the Prizzi family, big wigs in the organised crime game. But when he meets a beautiful blonde at a family wedding, things start to go wrong. She’s a hitman too, and soon, with the machinations of the exiled daughter of one of the kingpins, the assassins are hired to kill… each other!

It’s a bit of an odd film. Anjelica Huston, who was Nicholsons squeeze at the time, stars as a woman who left him at the altar and has been rejected by the family, but wants back in. She’s incredibly beautiful, and plays so well as the determined, hurt woman, who also has something very steel like about her. Kathleen Turner, as the love and rival assassin, is blonde and innocant looking in contrast, even though she kills for a living.

Whilst the other characters orbit around the trio, some of them eerily sinister but somehow always just a little on the funny side, Nicholson is the heart of this film. Everyone is hamming it up just a little bit, but it works because he has that unique and rogueish charm all his own. You can believe that he’d fall for a beautiful blonde, and also that he might kill people for a living.

John Huston’s fortieth film, this one was nominated for eight oscars but only Anjelica Huston won, for best supporting actress. And she is quite fascinating in this film, like a femme fatale. Hailed as a comedic gem, the films end is perhaps not what you’d expect but is exactly what the film needs, somehow. It’s not really an uplifting comedy, more an exploration of living and dying by the sword, or perhaps a commentary of how true love can’t survive modern times. Either way, there’s something about this film.

See It If: you’ve ever fallen in love with the wrong person… darkly comic, this is a film for those of you who like their comedy or romance with a bit of bite.

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19 thoughts on “Classic Movie Of The Week: Prizzi’s Honor (1985)”

      1. I loved him as the joker. He’s my second favourite joker, Mark Hamill being the first… Especially with the new The Killing Joke film, my god it’s dark.

        I guess this is why I find it weird when I see Jack Nicholson in RomCom roles, I know he’s a renowned womaniser in the real world but I just can’t wrap my mind around him being a Hollywood heart throb, possibly that’s the precise reason why he is… or I’m watching the wrong romcoms that he’s partaken in last one being Something’s gotta give.

        I do need to see The Bucket List though, apparently that is a really good film and who doesn’t love Morgan Freeman.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I know what you mean. I think if you see him in something like Five Easy Pieces or One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest you get a sense of him as a really confident, funny guy and a bit dangerous maybe. Perhaps that’s why some people have found him to be sexy? I certainly don’t, but I love his films.

        Liked by 1 person

  6. This is one of those movies that I know that I have seen, but can’t quite remember anymore. I always love Nicholson though, so it might be time to revisit this one. As for Falling in love with the wrong person: story of my life lol 😊 So yeah, for that alone I should definitely revisit this one 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
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