Cutter's Way review

Ivan Passer's paranoid 'Nam veteran tale is still a chilling masterpiece 30 years on...

GamesRadar Editor's Choice

Why you can trust 12DOVE Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Unlike fellow Czech expat Milos Forman, Ivan Passer never saw his US career really take off. But he directed a subversive masterpiece in Cutter’s Way (1981) a paranoid noir thriller.

One night Richard bone (Jeff bridges), a Santa Barbara gigolo, sees a mysterious figure dump a body in a trashcan.

When he tentatively identifies the killer as a powerful oil tycoon, mutilated Vietnam vet Cutter (John Heard) takes the idea and runs with it, dismissing the warnings of his wife (Lisa Eichhorn).

The three leads are on outstanding form, while Jack Nitzsche’s score shimmers with foreboding.

Latest in Thriller Movies
Black Bag
This new spy thriller starring Michael Fassbender earns near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score with glowing first reviews
Claire Danes as Juliet and Miriam Margolyes as Nurse in the movie Romeo + Juliet.
The 33 greatest movies based on Shakespeare
Bloodsport
The 32 greatest '80s action movies
The Bridges of Madison County
The 32 most heartbreaking movie moments
The Surfer
Nicolas Cage just wants to surf but keeps getting bullied by locals in bizarre trailer for new thriller being compared to Midsommar
Blake Lively as Emily in Another Simple Favor
7 years on from the original, Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick reunite in sinister, sun-soaked first trailer for comedy thriller sequel Another Simple Favor
Latest in Reviews
The pump header of the NZXT Kraken Elite 360 RGB showing a 35 degree cpu
NZXT Kraken Elite 360 RGB review: "Has some solid design points that make installation a lot easier"
Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid gaming keyboard on a wooden desk with blue lighting
Logitech G Pro X TKL Rapid review: "one of the best value Hall effect gaming keyboards out there"
Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt in The Electric State
The Electric State review: "Although this may be their most visually stunning movie yet, it looks like the Russos are yet to find their footing outside of the MCU"
Doggerland player board
Doggerland review: "A delicate dance of survival and management that doesn't feel weighted toward a single strategy"
Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 DEX gaming mouse standing upright on a wooden desk
Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 DEX review: "a force to be reckoned with"
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again season 1 review: "There have been far worse Marvel projects, but few as disappointing as this"