ARTS
Wednesday, June 19, 1985
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Page 8
The Michigan Daily
'Prizzi' suffers from disheveled tone
By Byron L. Bull
OF THE PEOPLE I know who've
- seen Prizzi's-Honor a small per-
centage seem to have genuinely liked
it; a larger number really hated it;
and the great majority seems com-
pletely ambivalent, liking it initially
only to grow disenchanted, if not
enraged by the end. Any film that
deals with a love affair between two
professional killers is unlikely to
strike an agreeable chord with many
people to begin with, and director
John Huston's uneven handling of the
film's tone-a crucial element in a
film with such a touchy
premise-blows most of the true
charm the film might have had.
Prizzi's Honor rolls out initially as a
clever little black romantic comedy
about a hard-nosed mafia hitman,
Charley Partanna (Jack Nicholson),
a dogfaced, streetwise Brooklyn thug
who is completely enchanted by Irene
Walker (Kathleen Turner), a smart,
sexy, sophisticated California lady,
who it turns out is in the same line of
work. Their romance is handled with
disconcertingly cursory, if not sloppy,
brevity by Huston. Not ten minutes in-
to the movie, the two are in bed and
married, skipping through initial
courting with a few cheap laughs.
Huston provides scant ingredients for
chemistry between the two and then
abruptly thickens the plot with
melodramatic heaviness.
True, both are eminently likable,
quirky characters. Nicholson plays
Charley with an engagingly warped
sense of caricature, with a thick
See UNEVEN, Page 9
Records
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Jack Nicholson (right) stars as Charley Partanna, a hard-nosed Mafia
hitman who is completely enamoured of Irene Walker, played by
Kathleen Turner (left), of the same profession. Although the two hit-
people hit it off pretty well, their brands of humor are confoundingly at
odds.
The Knitters - Poor
Little Critter on the Road
(Slash)
A hoot.
This record is a hoot.
I don't know why Country and
Western music is now synonymous
with the overproduced material by
Kenny Rogers and Alabama. It
wasn't always that way. Country and
Western once meant Johnny Cash
singing "I Walk the Line," or Ray
Charles. Turning a country radio
station on today is enough to make
one almost dispense with the entire
genre. Whiney, slick songs looking to
cross over onto the Top-40 charts bat-
tle Elvis and Willy Nelson for space.
Kenny Rogers isn't country, dam-
mit. He wears a suit, and probably
cologne even. He trims his beard.
Kenny Rogers can't convince me he
was ever...poor, or lonely, or even
drunk. Blue jeans on Kenny Rogers
seem like an affectation.
Well, hell, The Knitters aren't coun-
try either really. Exene Cervenka,
John Doe, and D. J. Bonebrake (along would lead one to believe. Doe has
with producer John Doe) are better emotional range, a full voice with a
known as Los Angeles post-punk band controlled, manly tremble that
X, and Dave Alvin, well he's almost sucker-punches the listener. Exene's
country, he's in The Blasters. John vocals are more spirited than
Ray Bartel, who plays stand-up bass, musical, but she too exhibits a range
I ain't never heard of, and I ain't untapped by her work in X. In X,
heard of his band the D.l's either. Exene at times verged on an odd sort
But even if they aren't real country of spirituality with her foghorn
country, The Knitters revive elemen- howl/wail harmonies. Here she
ts of Country and Western music that exhibits an earthy little-girl jubilan-
have been conspicuously absent - ce.
specifically drive, a sense of humor, The Knitter's bring a vital, energetic
and underneath it all a sort of mour- sensibility to Country and Western
nful, pofolks mentality that says, music. "Poor Little Critter on the
"Well, hell, why not make music - Road" moves like a highballing train,
we got nothin' better to do." as does "The Call of the Wrecking
Instrumentally The Knitters are Ball." Other songs sashay. "Love
terrific. D. J. Bonebrake's drumming Shack" just bounces.
is surprisingly authentic, although It's hard to believe how well John
I'm sure that the demands made on Doe sells Merle Haggard's "Silver
him aren't extraordinary. Bartel's Wings." The ballads seem so genuine
bass lines are clunky and driving. so gut.
Doe's acoustic guitar work is good, The inclusion of X's "The New
and Dave Alvin's electric work is World" gives the listener a taste of
tremendous. Alvin fires up the band what the Knitters began from. This
with bright, clear, and simple slowed down, slightly countrified ver-
guitar work on the upbeat numbers, sion of X's quasi-anthemic rant has a
and mournful moans on the ballads. new verve and venom, albeit a venom
Vocally Doe and Exene are quite different from that of the
technically better than the X records See RECiORDSPas pes
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