Prizzi's Honor (1985)

Saw Prizzi's Honour last night This is the original of Mr & Mrs Smith and a lot better. Much more nuanced, complex and brilliantly acted by Jack Nicholson, Kathleen turner and Angelica Huston. It is a bit of a spoof on the godfather and so has lots of allusions and in jokes. Fun, not high art but still way better than the remake. The ending is adroit and exciting if somewhat predictable and the twists and turns of the plot are dizzying but plausible and internally consistent. Jack Nicholson's mouth filler is a mistake but Kathleen turner looks spectacular and angelica Huston does a good turn as a spurned woman with charisma and panache.

Stiff direction and a poor performance by Jack Nicholson strangle John Huston's "Prizzi's Honor", a black comedy about a slow witted Mafia man who falls in love with a glamorous Californian woman (Kathleen Turner).Huston spends much of the film mocking notions of "honour" and "obligation". Elsewhere he has Turner's sentimentality and conformism (she expects men to capture babies, to want sex rather than assassinate her etc) result in her downfall. Turner may play a headstrong, undercover assassin, but certain quaint expectations she has of men leads to her ruin. Men, apparently, are dishonourable, unreliable oafs, a fact which gets Turner a knife in the head.5/10 – Dull.

John Huston's 'Prizzi's Honor' is A Memorable Film with Solid Performances! Its a throughly entertaining film! 'Prizzi's Honor' tells the story of a mob hit man & hit woman who fall in love, even though they have been hired to kill each other. 'Prizzi's Honor' is well-paced, funny, engaging & memorable. Richard Condon & Janet Roach's Screenplay is throughly entertaining & offers terrific moments. John Huston's Direction is of high standards. Cinematography, Editing & Costume Design, are superb.Performance-Wise: Acting God Jack Nicholson is astonishing, once again. He plays the twisted protagonist impeccably. Kathleen Turner is extremely witty & unpredictable in her portrayal, while Anjelica Huston's Oscar-Winning turn is simply brilliant. William Hickey is outstanding, what a performance! Robert Loggia is in form. John Randolph deserves a special mention.On the whole, 'Prizzi's Honor' is definitely worth watching. Go For Some Vintage Entertainment!

Mafia hit man falls in love with a hit woman, but complications arise. Nicholson is not at his best here. To reinforce the notion that his character is a dim wit, he apparently stuffed tissue under his upper lip for this role. It is very distracting. Otherwise, the acting is generally good, particularly Turner, Randolph, and Huston. However, Hickey steals the film in an amusing turn as an aged mafia boss. Plotwise, it is hard to believe that Nicholson and Turner become engaged hours after meeting, and the ending is unsatisfying. Anjelica Huston won an Oscar under her father's direction. John Huston also directed his father Walter to an Oscar (Treasure of the Sierra Madre).