Cut and Run


Title: Cut and Run (1985)
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Action, Thriller
Starring: Lisa Blount, Willie Aames, Richard Lynch
Director: Ruggero Deodato
Language: English, Italian
Duration: 90 mins

Deodato’s follow-up to his controversial Cannibal Holocaust has two “shockumentary” television reporters following a drug smuggling ring in Miami, but bear witness to a massacre. With evidence stolen from the scene, they come to the conclusion that a surviving associate of cult leader Jim Jones, named Colonel Horne, has been slaughtering drug dealers and manufacturers across the country and trace him to South America. The two think this would be a breakthrough story, and coincidentally with the TV exec’s lost son involved in the mystery, they are sent to the Amazon to further explore the story. It just so happens that the night they fly into a secret drug manufacturing camp in the jungle was the night the camp was violently hit by Horne’s people, with the only survivors being the lost son and his girlfriend. The reporters keep trying to shoot all that’s happening, but very quickly realize they start needing a plan for escape.

There are many similarities between this film and the director’s most famous work. First, they both deal with almost identical themes regarding the exploitation of violence in the media. Good taste and even ethics are set aside as the ambitious video journalists capture every gruesome detail on camera. Even though in Deodato’s previous film the documentarians were the bad guys, this film’s protagonists are also presented as rather shameless and irresponsible. Secondly, the violence and brutality of Cannibal Holocaust are not lost in Cut and Run. The scenes of massacre are some of the most extreme in any action flick, including a woman’s limbs nailed to the floor before being gang raped and a drug lord’s gory lengthwise bisection (a truly glorious effect). Lastly, Cut and Run is another entry in “Green Hell” film history, taboo-driven horror/adventure films located in the jungles. Thankfully, this movie does not include any animal slaughter.

Even though this is not a horror film, it is sure to appeal to horror fans more than anyone else. Not only because of the bloody death scenes and set pieces, but of the personnel involved. The helmsman of this picture was probably the most notorious in the world for a period of time, and Cut and Run was made instead of the anticipated Cannibal Holocaust II. There are also some familiar faces to be recognized throughout, such as genre veterans Karen Black (Easy Rider, House of 1000 Corpses), Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes, The Devil’s Rejects), and Richard Bright (The Godfather trilogy, Girls Nite Out). A third treat is the electronic soundtrack provided by Claudio Simonetti, member of prog rock group Goblin, who have scored many horror films for names such as Dario Argento, George Romero, and Joe D’Amato.

Cut and Run delivers the kind of goods Rambo: First Blood Part II wishes it could’ve. I admit this is a pretty bold statement since Stallone’s film is widely regarded as an action classic, but Deodato’s film just pushes the limit beyond gunfire and explosives into more dangerous territory. It is a film that still couldn’t be released nationally without heavy edits. And with the popularity of torture porn such as the Saw and Hostel franchises, that’s saying something. Cut and Run will have the blood pumping (and flowing), the fans cheering, and the testosterone level through the roof. Could you ask for anything more to have a good time?

Trailer

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