Some really good performances and i found myself wanting to like it. The problem is the film keeps tripping over itself and doesn’t really know what it’s about.

A complete masterpiece. Up there with "Chinatown" in my opinion. John Heard is mesmerizing.

An odd angry movie about a guy who wants his best friend to stand up to the bad guys. However, for me, the entire notion of being a hero is more about improving yourself. And these 3 characters are drunks, womanizers, and kind of losers. Heard's performance is impressive. So is Lisa Eichhorn.

By both attracting and repulsing the viewer through the presentation of the initial crime and subsequent twists in the central mystery of the film as drawn out by the four principal characters, this film manages to magnificently disguise it's ultimate path to a resolution. That's just the third reason to see this film The second reason is the hypnotic film score by Jack Nitzsche - which perfectly drapes the film in resonating opaqueness and discord while still conveying beauty. But the primary reason to see this film is simply the performances of John Heard, Lisa Eichhorn, and Jeff Bridges. The various juxtapositions in the narrative centered on the 'haves' and the have-nots' - power, money, influence and it's lack, the users and the used, addiction, alcohol, pain killers and the eternal quest for numbness against those who have no need to dull their experience - serve to launch the interactions of the principals in myriad dances unchoreographed and unschooled. Add to this noir journey the Santa Barbara location, great cinematography and dialogue. Kudos to Director Ivan Passer and the author for the source novel, Newton Thornburg.

More overtly Marxist and slightly less tragic than The Parallax View.

The setup to 'Cutter's Way' appears to promise a murder mystery, but it soon becomes clear that it will not follow this path. It instead chooses to focus on a theory that the titular character - Alex Cutter - develops about the case, and follows his growing obsession with confronting the man he thinks is responsible. Meanwhile, small dramas play out between the people around him, all of whom are affected by, but also inevitably drawn to Cutter's...way. The movie uses the situation as an entry point to explore Cutter's deadly combination of intelligence, self-loathing, contempt and paranoia - all of which John Heard portrays brilliantly in an intensely charismatic performance. (I always thought this was a Jeff Bridges movie, but he almost becomes an afterthought once Heard enters the picture) The film culminates in a beguiling if somewhat abrupt ending, that left me with a rare feeling that this is a movie that should have been longer.

The finest neo-noir film to be made in the last 40 years. This gem from 1981 is an absolute masterpiece. All three leads, especially Lisa Eichhorn, are mesmerizing. It's a must-see classic.

Alex Cutter (John Heard) and Rich Bone (Jeff Bridges) are two longtime friends that get drawn into a local murder case. Small cast, inexpensive sets and with no special effects, a good script makes this movie a very respectable low budget affair. Decent acting by Bridges and an even better performance by Heard. If your expectations aren't too high, you may be pleasantly surprised with this one.

Solid. The ending left me with a smile.

An intense, character driven mystery with one of Jeff Bridges' best performances.

A stand out neo noir thriller, with some all around great performances, and an ending that is both abrupt and a stunner. Heard almost comes off as cartoonish as this paranoid, over-the-top, crippled war vet, but he's actually quite a richly layered character.

Story/Screenplay: (2.5/5) Kind of a head-scratcher. The storyline was interesting on the whole but some of the scenes and dialogue felt odd or unnatural. Duration/Tempo: (3/5) At 1 hour and 49 minutes, it's an average length movie that felt longer. Pacing was a bit slow for too much of the film. Cast & Crew: (3/5) I think Jeff Bridges was supposed to be the star of this film, and his performance was fine, but John Heard had the better lines and delivered a better performance. Lisa Eichhorn was very good, but the screenplay seemed stilted at times and her performance suffered somewhat, as did those from the cast overall. Summary: (2.5/5) The story and cast were mediocre and the film felt a tad long. A thumbs down.

This film was really onto something when it was first released, but its primary themes (disillusionment and consequence) didn't win the hearts and minds during Reagan's first term. Many people I knew found this movie to be too dreary and depressing for human consumption, but I remained haunted by it to this day, ;particularly John Heard's fearless performance as an emotionally and physically devastated Vietnam veteran, and the incredible parade shot over the opening credits.

An inspiring film, it is constructed like a thriller; but instead of reaching for thrills, it leaves them in the background and concentrates on the complexities of its characters.

cinegeek.de 30 jahre später und immer noch sehe ich mir in Abständen Jeff Bridges und John Heard an, wie sie einen Mord rächen. Ganz langsam hat es dieser sonnendurchflutete Neo Noir von Ivan Passer während der letzten Dekaden geschafft, von einer Kult-Obskurität zum Meisterwerk zu reifen. Der Film kam 1981 in die Kinos aber atmete immer noch die Atmosphäre der späten 60er. Fast scheint es so, als ob die verlorenen Ideale der Zeit nur noch von ein paar ausgebrannten Überlebenden hochgehalten werden. Wir befinden uns irgendwo in Santa Barbara. Cutter's Way eröffnet mit der Leiche eines Mädchens. Man hat sie einfach in den Müll geworfen. Zeuge ist Richard Bone (Jeff Bridges), ein Mittdreissiger Country Club Gigolo, der nebenbei als Callboy jobbt. Bone ist sich allerdings nicht sicher, was er nun wirklich gesehen hat (schliesslich war es ein regnerische Nacht). Ganz anders sein Freund, der einäugige, einarmige und einbeinige Vietnam Veteran Alex Cutter (gespielt vom tollen John Heard). Der zynische Alkoholiker wohnt mit Bone zusammen. Er kann den mutmasslichen Mörder identifizieren: Es ist der bekannte Unternehmer J.J. Cord (Stephen Elliott) und wir sind mittendrin in einer Verschwörung... Jeff Bridges bildet den Ruhepol des Films, während John Heard leidenschaftlich ausrasten darf. Das Herz aber ist Maureen (Lisa Eichhorn) als Cutters Frau: "Home so early, Rich? You couldn't find a matron with a taste for gutter squalor?", fragt sie mit ihrer brüchigen, fast verrückten Stimme. Eine ausgemergelte, dumpfe Alkoholikerin. Das ist die Welt von Cutter's Way und sie entfaltet sich von Mal zu Mal sehen. Du wirst merken, wie du einige Passagen noch lange im Kopf behälst. Gib Cutter's Way eine Chance und sieh ihn dir gleich noch einmal an. Er braucht diese Anlaufzeit!

Of the thousands of movies I've seen, it's the only one I went back to see again on my own because how impressive and at times confusing I found it. As noted the performances are excellent - the characters both off putting and charismatic by turns. The plot is murky - but by design, not by poor planning or execution. If you need to know what's going on at every moment - by all means avoid the movie. But if like a game of go or peeling open an artichoke the process is important to you, please do see it.

The acting and the characters drive this movie. John Heard is unbelievable. The thriller aspects are secondary, but an integral in bringing out Cutter's personality.

Cutters Way is a really interesting, curious film noir thriller, it's almost unconcerned with things like narrative, plot or even the murder mystery at it's centre, it's more about the characters, mood, atmosphere and dialogue it feels loose and ragged, it moves at it's own pace, sometimes your not even sure were it's actually going, which can be both exciting and frustrating, it's not meandering but it sometimes feels like it. What this film is really about is the two men at the centre of the story, Jeff Bridges (looking stunningly young and handsome) as Richard Bone, a womanising drifter so uncomitted to anything in his life or others, that the murder mystery he's in the middle of even seems like a thing of little concern to him, and then theres John Heard as title character Alex Cutter, the actor is known to pretty much everyone as Kevin Mccallister's dad Peter from the Home Alone films, this is a shame because he is absolutely spectacular in this film, if Heard only could have at least given us another half dozen performance's of this searing, magnetic intensity, he would have been one of the greatest actors of all time, because this is one of the greatest performances and one of the most complex and compelling characters i've ever seen in a film, he's that damn good, truly a wasted actor. The other big drive of this film is it's complete ambiguity, theres a good chance that the real killer may have walked right out of this films story after he dumps the body at the beginning, theres a feeling that this is all a mistake. The ending especially will haunt you for a long time, questioning over and over what really happened. Great, underrated, uncompromising and intelligent grown up film making.

Nice noir. John Heard is the best/Snake Plissken. Jeff Bridges is great. Terrific mysterious bad guy.

The second best cult film.ever made .next to The Wanderers.