Inferno in diretta

Cut and Run (1985)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Reporter Fran Hudson (Lisa Blount) takes her cameraman Mark (Leonard Mann) to the jungle to try and locate the son (Willie Aames) of a television executive who went missing. Pretty soon they learn that someone who was believed killed at Jonestown actually survived and appears to be building a new cult around the drug cartels.

Ruggero Deodato's third film in his cannibal series isn't nearly as known as JUNGLE HOLOCAUST or CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST but in its own way CUT AND RUN is a memorable little movie as long as you don't go into it expecting anything like the first two films. Apparently this screenplay was originally meant to be directed by Wes Craven but when he walked the screenplay pretty much stayed. This isn't your typical Italian cannibal movie but instead an attempt to make a more mainstream picture. In a lot of ways this here reminded me of a Cannon picture.

I say that because you've got an exploitation movie that has the budget of something you'd expect from Cannon. I will give Deodato credit in the fact that he managed to turn in a fairly good adventure and he didn't shy away from the sleaze. There's all sorts of nudity in the film, some insane violence and all of this makes for a very entertaining film. There are all sorts of violence in the film including some decapitations and various other body parts being chopped off. If you're idea of fun is gore then there's certainly plenty of that here. The sleaze factor is certainly up there so fans of that should be happy.

Another major plus is the fact that you've got some very familiar faces. I thought Blount, Mann and Aames were all quite good in their roles but you've also got Richard Lynch, Richard Bright, Karen Black and cult favorite Michael Berryman. While none of the characters are well-written, the cast is at least entertaining enough to keep you into the movie. There's even a pretty good jump scare where the director puts your focus on some crocodiles only to have something else happen.

CUT AND RUN doesn't have the greatest idea for a plot and there are some other minor issues but if you're a fan of this type of movie then it makes for a good adventure film.