Scott LeBrun From Ruggero Deodato, the infamous director of "Cannibal Holocaust", comes this return to gory and sadistic jungle-based goings-on. It's an interesting mixture of the Italian jungle genre (albeit without cannibalism), drug-based action pictures, and blood and guts horror. Overall, it doesn't make nearly the same impact as "Cannibal Holocaust", but it's still a solid diversion for any cult movie lover who is into this sort of thing.Lisa Blount and Leonard Mann play reporter Fran Hudson and her cameraman Mark Ludman, who are hot on the trail of a story involving wars between competing drug cartels. They come to realize that a man named Brian Horne (Richard Lynch) is involved. It turns out Horne was a prominent associate of the notorious cult leader Jim Jones. Fran and Mark are also trying to find Tommy Allo (Willie Aames), son of their boss Bob (Richard Bright); Tommy has been prisoner to one of these cartels for some time.As you can see, there are a fair amount of familiar American actors in this rousing bit of entertainment. Karen Black makes a "special appearance", a young Eriq La Salle plays an informant, and the legendary cult actor Michael Berryman turns up repeatedly as a relentless and REALLY nasty white henchman. His scenes tend to be the most fun. Blount doesn't look too happy to be here, and Aames is too whiny and annoying, but the rest of the cast do some good work. Sexy Valentina Forte, Deodatos' girlfriend at the time, exploitation veteran John Steiner, Barbara Magnolfi ("Suspiria"), and Ottaviano Dell'Acqua (the worm eye zombie in "Zombi 2") co-star.One gory highlight involves a person being ripped in half. The location shooting adds a lot of atmosphere. And ever reliable Claudio Simonetti of the groups Goblin and Daemonia composed the groovy music score.Not too memorable once it's over, but it does hold ones' attention.Seven out of 10.

Comeuppance Reviews Fran Hudson (Blount) is a local Miami TV reporter who never shies away from a story that is potentially dangerous. After some drug-fueled murders in the area, an informant, Fargas (La Salle) points Fran and her trusty cameraman Mark (Mann) in the direction of a mysterious man named Brian Horne (Lynch). Horne was a disgraced Army Colonel who ended up in the employment of the infamous Jim Jones. He was said to have died in the massacre at Guyana, but recent photos have surfaced featuring Horne. Fran and Mark want to go deep into the jungles of Venezuela where they believe he is hiding out in order to interview him. This coincides perfectly with the wishes of their station manager, Bob (Bright) as well as Karin (Black). Bob's son Tommy (Aames) has been missing and thought to be in the same area. So Fran and Mark have their work "cut" out for them, as they must report on the drug killings, find and interview Brian Horne, and rescue Tommy - all the while dodging the many pitfalls of the jungle, not the least of which is the violent and frightening killer Quecho (Berryman). Can they do it? Out of all the jungle movies released in the 80's, Cut and Run has to rank as one of the best. While it sits comfortably with other items on video store shelves at the time such as Cocaine Wars (1985), Cut and Run has a lot more going for it. Namely the strong cast, and equally strong direction by Ruggero Deodato, who most people would associate with Cannibal Holocaust (1980) - but here at Comeuppance we associate him with Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man (1976), Raiders of Atlantis (1983) and The Barbarians (1987). Though, truth be told, Cut and Run shares more of the themes of Cannibal Holocaust than any of the other movies we mentioned - jungles, white people entering them and facing hostile Indios, and gore a-plenty. So while lesser filmmakers were off making nondescript El Presidente movies or Jungle Slogs (as we call them), Deodato corralled an impressive cast and raised the bar on all films of this type. He set the standard for the 80's video store-era jungle movie, and it has yet to be surpassed.Lisa Blount makes an appealing lead, and she's an actress we don't often get a chance to talk about. Eriq La Salle - much like his co-stars John Steiner, Gabriele Tinti and even Karen Black - puts in a colorful and worthwhile, but brief, role. Fan favorite Michael Berryman is on board doing what he does best, as is fellow fan favorite Richard Lynch. Both Berryman and Lynch have loinclothed goons - presumably no jungle movie would be complete without them. It's hard to say exactly what's going on with Willie Aames (or is it Willie Bibleman; not really sure) what with his curly mullet and Mickey Mouse tanktop over a red sweatshirt, but like Blount, we don't get to talk about Willie too much on this site, so we were happy to see him in a non-Charles in Charge role. But seeing as how the movie was directed with energy by Deodato, and has typically-excellent Claudio Simonetti music, you can't really lose...or can you? Actually, you CAN lose if you view the New World VHS. The Anchor Bay DVD is uncut so make sure that is the version you see/buy. The moments of well-executed gore are one of the main ingredients that set this movie apart from its jungle-based competitors. So make sure you see it all on the DVD. Corman and New World have a tendency to cut movies and make sure they don't go "too far", and Cut and Run was sadly a victim of that back in the day. But it's been rectified now, so there's nothing to fear. Except maybe Quecho.Cut and Run is a solid movie, and the DVD is a solid addition to anyone's collection.

t_atzmueller So, this is it: the finally of Ruggero Deodattos „Amazonia"- (better known as „Cannibal")-trilogy. Almost needless to say that "Cut and Run" in no way lives up to the standards of the infamous "Cannibal Holocaust" but then again, I dare say that no other movie has achieved that to date.Apart from some very gory scenes of carnage and mayhem (decapitations, gutting and a man being ripped into half), the location, Deodattos misogyny and condescending attitude towards the indigenous crew, "Cut and Run" and "Cannibal Holocaust" haven't got much in common. The later is a hardcore horror-film, containing what some have termed "animal snuff", yet actually had a deeper meaning, that criticized the 1970's Mondo-genre (exploitive and often partially faked pseudo-documentaries) and the Medias attitude toward what they considered primitive cultures."Cut and Run" is a more straight action-thriller about a surviving Jonestown leader Colonel Horn (Richard Lynch) who, with the help of an Indio tribe, rips off American cocaine smugglers in the Amazon and a couple of journalists (Lisa Blount and Leonard Mann) out to interview Horn and rescue the missing son of their producer (Willie Ames).What speaks for the film (apart from the rather heavy violence and gore, presuming this is your thing and the reason to come across "Cut and Run" in the first place) is a very hostile, depressing, even misanthropic atmosphere. This is another thing that "Cut and Run" and "Cannibal Holocaust" have in common. Lynch, as a mix between insane Reverend Jones and drug-peddling General Kurtz, plays the role he has been born to play; same goes for Michael Berryman, who plays a psychopathic killer-Indio; albeit, both only have a few minutes of screen-time. John Steiner is a sadistic, sneering drug-runner, nothing we didn't come to expect from Steiner there. The rest of the are bit-players who go through the motions, trying hard not to embarrass themselves or, like in the case of Karen Black, aren't given much to work with.If at all possible, Deodatto managed to make the local Indios look even more ape-like than in "Cannibal Holocaust". The grimace, rape and hop from tree to tree, one is instinctively reminded of the sub-humans in Ralph Bakshi pre-stone-age cartoon "Fire and Ice". Like a participant in "Cannibal Holocaust" said: "Deodatto killed apes, turtles and iguanas, but he treated the animals with more respect than he did the natives." Five points from ten – that's one for Lynch, one for Berryman, one for the atmosphere and two for the gore-content and special-effects.And, on a ps-note, watch out for a very young Eric La Salle ("Coming to America", here playing a jive-talking', purple fedora-wearing pimp which, we had presumed, had died out with 1970's blaxploitation film) and try not to watch out for Hugo Weaving in an extra-role – he's nowhere to be found in "Cut and Run"; his participation is an urban legend.

Helltopay27 Cut and Run is as unique a film as any, and it's made better by the fact that it succeeds so well at what it does. Even after being criticized and heavily censored the world over, Ruggero Deodato still has the balls to return to the jungle only naturally to complete his epic trilogy. Though not a cannibal film, Cut and Run is still a brutal, in-your-face gore thriller that delivers the goods as well as any Hollywood production (and then some), and is one of the most violent films I've ever seen (even more violent than Cannibal Ferox, which boasted to be the most violent film ever made). But even being a violent exploitation film, it's a great and effective thriller as well. Yes, I may have a soft spot for jungle/native films, but being a slave to the sleaze doesn't mean I can't recognize films that are actually legitimate. I was enthralled by every aspect, including decent acting (better than most dubbed films), non-stop action, an involved plot, and a fun mystery (it joins Amazonia as the only Italian jungle film I've seen that is also a mystery movie). It never lets up on the action or the horror; it's a perfect blend. While there are some seriously grotesque displays, it also keeps moving to make it a thrill a minute gore show.A reporter, Fran, and her cameraman, Mark, are following a Columbian drug operation that's leaving dozens of people slaughtered by unknown assassins. While investigating, they come across a photo that has Tommy in it, who is the missing son of an exec at their station. Also in the photo is a believed dead leader of the Jonestown massacre, Colonel Brian Horne. They're given permission to fly in and uncover whatever may be happening, all for the sake of sensationalism (and to find their boss's son, of course). The two blackmail the pilot who flies to one of the jungle encampments that Tommy is at. Right when they're flying in, the installation becomes the next target of annihilation, and every drug runner is violently butchered. While in hiding from the assassins, Fran and Mark encounter Tommy's girlfriend, Ana, and the three flee into the jungle. While the two news-persons are making a satellite broadcast, Ana is butchered by the natives. Mark and Fran run off again, and then they soon run into Tommy. Now lost, the trio is captured by Brian Horne and his army of natives. It turns out that Horne has been slaughtering the drug installations to steal the coke and sell it for himself. Unbeknownst to him, Mark and Fran's broadcasts have the authorities hot on Horne's tail.Cut and Run works because it stays an action movie when it has the blatant opportunity to turn into a mindless bloodbath and slaughter mayhem. Not saying that it doesn't have it's own share of blood and gore, which this "hard" version is notorious for, but it doesn't relish in the violence; the gore isn't exploited so that it would be pure and simple horror in the jungle (except for maybe the first scene, which in reality sets a good tone for the rest of the movie). Had it done that, it would simply become another "Been there, done that" horror show that Deodato had already mastered with Cannibal Holocaust, so why would he want to do that again? Instead, he knew when to give the audience a break from the horror, and also knew when to pick it up again so that it doesn't turn into a boring stroll through the rain forest. That's definitely what Cut and Run has going for it: it stays moving. There's never even a chance for you to become bored. Questions like "How did the house in Miami get slaughtered?" never rises while you're watching, because by the time you've thought enough to ask why, Michael Berryman is leading another all-out assault on another compound. He added the perfect key to the rest of the film by his genuinely creepy performance reminiscent of The Hills Have Eyes. It was a disappointment to see him knocked out of commission so early on in the film, but he adds the last little twist to the end of the movie.In the end, Cut and Run is a very well executed action/thriller that tries to be nothing more than what it is. It's crossing of so many genres may be a bit ambitious (it sounds like it could be a Schwarzenegger film, but it's also a mystery and a soap opera), but it's able to tie them together so well that it's never looked down upon for biting off a little more than it can chew. There are no production problems that might spoil viewing except for a few questionable actors. Most of the characters, however, are dubbed over very well, giving performances not usually seen in exploitation films. This film is proof that Ruggero Deodato is one of the most underrated directors in the history of film, because it showcases his talents in that he can make his work different and yet as entertaining as anything that Hollywood craps out onto celluloid. His directing decisions are so ballsy because he isn't afraid to show the gruesome displays that most won't touch. He also tries to tie in his criticism of media sensationalism in this like he did in Cannibal Holocaust, but since the media is the good guys here, the message never really comes across. Still, kudos for one hell of a ride.