Prizzi's Honor (1985)

Pretty Good

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

It could be compared with films about same theme. it could be defined as good/bad/brilliant/mediocre. but the basic virtue remains the dark humor. seductive, lovely, bitter-sweet. it demonstrate nothing. because, in essence, it is not a film about Mafia but about love, selfishness, jealousy, duty. maybe honor, too. it is not "The Godfather" and this is the best thing. because it could be perceved as a simple story, by a great director, using eccentric clothes for define ordinary universe . and, if Kathleene Turner and Jack Nicholson are a splendid couple , little different, but not in significant sides , by others, Anjelica Huston is more than brilliant and the precise motif to see, again, "Prizzi's Honor"

When I was watching this movie, I honestly thought himself and Kathleen Turner made such a great team. She honestly is sexy in this by the way since it was few years before she was Jessica Rabbit. However I thought this movie was rather slow, boring and too fast for me. I didn't expect for both characters to be on top of each other already, especially they only just met a few times after a wedding that they both attended to.The storyline was alright but a bit grotty for my taste. I would've loved more action and give you a feel on what happens next. Just because you have big stars like Anjelica Huston, Kathleen Turner and Jack Nicholson, it doesn't mean they would be involved in great movies! That's unfortunately the case with some stars, they are talent but they needed more in my taste. It really is disappointing but sure what can you do? Not everyone would enjoy this film either!

Many years ago --- it must have been in about 1986 --- my sister told me that she and her husband walked out of this film before the end. They hadn't seen the jokes, I suppose, and felt an ever-increasing sense of nausea and distaste. The tale is certainly sick, and it must have been a great deal more fun to make than it is to watch. It could also be seen as a multi-barbed satirical attack on all three parts of "The Godfather", mercilessly mocking the ethos of that second (after Shawshank) most loved and praised of all iconic American masterpieces, portraying the society of the US to the rest of the world. Instead of secreting cotton wool in his cheek pouches, like Brando, Nicholson tucks a roll under his upper lip, making him look even dumber than he's acting.Most reviews here agree that this is all just taking the mickey, and for that reason it may merit moving up a couple of rating notches. However, it still isn't that good. I couldn't really understand the plot, with all its intricate insurance angles, but that didn't matter much, as it was mainly about caricaturing a well-known stereotypical group which nobody wants to get on the wrong side of.Perhaps the story repels to some extent because there isn't a single sympathetic or likable character in the entire cast. Was this why so many stars appear to have turned down offers to play various parts ? Every character looks upon taking other people's lives as just another job, an unimportant happening, which is all in the day's work, not worth a second thought. Only a relatively mild reservation about offing one's wife. Money is the most important commodity in the business world: it's business, just business. No hard feelings.There is one special feature of this movie which elevates it into unusual memorability, and that is the performance of William Hickey as the Grandfather, Godfather, Don. In 1985 this actor, born 1927, was only 58 ! I do not believe I have ever seen a more convincingly undead Zombie, aged at least 200, than Hickey delivers. Perhaps he was sustained, in common with all vampires, by the blood of his victims.I see Hickey's act has been noticed by several others. 4/10.

This tongue-in-cheek fairy tale of true love between hired assassins is more demanding than it should have been, almost certainly requiring a second viewing just to unravel Richard Condon's convoluted plot. Jack Nicholson portrays a dim-witted pet hit man for the Prizzi crime family; his rival/paramour is Kathleen Turner, and the scenario demands a heroic suspension of disbelief to accept either star in their role. Both were obviously chosen for their marquee appeal, but it's the supporting cast that makes the film worthwhile, including William Hickey as the frail Prizzi patriarch and Angelica Huston as his scheming granddaughter (the former earned an Oscar nomination; the latter won the award). Director John Huston, for all his acknowledged talents, shows no special gift here for black comedy, and the cold-blooded conclusion may leave viewers with a bitter aftertaste.