Prizzi's Honor (1985)

Directed by John Huston; produced by John Foreman

Charley Partana (Jack Nicholson) is a hit-man and all-round fixer for the Prizzi family, headed by Don Corrado (William Hickey). At a wedding, he is smitten with Irene Walker (Kathleen Turner), a stranger who turns out to be a freelance assassin, hired one time by the Prizzis. Charley and Irene’s romance is immediate and their feelings deep, but professionally and personally it causes problems. Charley’s dilemma becomes, in his own words, “Should I ice her? Should I marry her? What do I do?”

Perhaps it is needless to write that Prizzi’s Honor is a black comedy. It’s interesting in that the sensibilities of the movie, if not always the viewpoint, is taken from Charley Partana. Our own ideas of right and wrong are superseded for the time being by his. That can be a risky proposition, but Nicholson’s performance, and the writing, manage to pull it off.

Charley is not a complex man, but, as more than one other character observes, Charley is a thinker. That can get him into trouble in his line of work, but it more often merely produces confusion, for, while Charley is a thinker, he is not, for all that, very smart. He tries his best. He reads. He draws his own conclusions; they are sometimes erroneous.

Nicholson’s acting creates a character that is quite distinct from the cool, confident people usually associated with him. Charley is confident when doing his job, but doesn’t have an answer for everything, and there are no wise-cracks to be heard. He also keeps much of what he thinks to himself: note his facial reaction to a quickly-made decision by his bosses to kill an embezzler of mob funds. Nonetheless, he is loyal to his organisation - even too loyal.

Kathleen Turner also puts in a fine performance, making Irene treat assassination like an accounting assignment, or a public relations gig. Her job doesn’t prevent her from enjoying the light-hearted side of life. Even so, Irene is not as unique a character as is Charley, and thus less interesting.

There are plenty of other fine actors in the cast. Angelica Huston’s Maerose is the principal complication in the plot, and her portrayal of a woman devious enough to run any criminal undertaking - if she weren’t so focussed on her own desires - deserves the Oscar she won for it. (Nicholson was nominated for an Oscar in his rôle.) William Hickey is another stand-out as the Prizzi family’s head. He was 58 in 1985, but convinces us that he is a frail 80 year old. Robert Loggia and Lee Richardson play his sons, the former being just three years younger than Hickey, while Richardson is a year older. Stanley Tucci has his film debut in a bit part.

The direction is, as one may expect from Huston, very good, though I don’t think it rates the nomination for an Academy Award that it received. I consider the writing to be better. The ending will probably be unexpected to anyone not already apprised of it.

Not for all tastes, Prizzi’s Honor is nevertheless a very good film, a mob comedy which, taking into account the setting, can only be dark, and will prove entertaining for most who view it.