(Credit: Amazon.com)
Directed by
William Tannen
Cast:
Chuck Norris …. John Shepherd
Joanna Pacula …. Elizabeth Teller
Daniel Bernhardt …. Dirk
Bernie Kopell …. Issac Teller
Curt Lowens …. Col. Speerman
(as Kurt Lowens)
Todd Jensen …. Parks
Tracy Scoggins …. Alena
Dean Cochran …. Eddie
Aaron Norris …. Tony Maylam
John T. Woods …. Sergeant
Tarri Markell …. Julia
Wonder Russell …. Ruth Mueller
The Movie:
The 1980’s were a great time for Action heroes. This was the heyday for names like Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Russell, as their muscle-bound exploits brought in big box office bucks. One of the greatest of these heroes was undoubtedly Chuck Norris. Films such as Lone Wolf McQuade, Code of Silence, and Missing in Action stand as a legacy to a man ready bring gangsters and thugs to justice by letting his roundhouse kicks and Uzis under each arm do the talking for him. Unfortunately for Chuck, those days had to come to an end.
After languishing in terrible films in the 1990’s as well as eight seasons of Walker: Texas Ranger, Norris has gone into semi-retirement. The six-time World Karate Champion has had a bit of a renaissance as of late though, due to the popularity of the Walker skits on Late Night with Conan O’Brien as well the “Chuck Norris Facts” making their rounds around the internet. Perhaps it was this small phenomenon that made Norris want to come back to kick some tail in The Cutter, his new “Direct to DVD” title.
Norris stars as John Shepherd, a retired Spokane, Washington police officer who now works as a private eye. To his credit, this is not the same Norris we’ve been accustomed to in the past. Norris is now in his 60’s and shows it up on screen. This is a more “human” version of the Action star than we’ve seen before, similar to Schwarzenegger’s turn in Collateral Damage or Stallone in Cop Land. He needs a little help to win his fights in this film, and he doesn’t always win them.
An opening sequence even has Norris’ Shepherd being too late to stop a kidnap victim from being executed. He does end up taking his frustrations out on the kidnappers, with one crook taking a three story plunge, ala An Eye for an Eye, but the incident haunts him for the rest of the film. You can tell the man is giving it all he’s got for these scenes, but he’s a long way from being J.J. McQuade or Eddie Cusack.
The plot roundhouse kicks into gear when a series of ancient diamonds are stolen from an archeological dig. An international thief known only as Dirk (Daniel Bernhardt) has stolen the diamonds for a former Nazi, Curt Lowens’ Colonel Speerman. When a diamond cutter named Issac Teller (Bernie Kopell) is kidnapped, Shepherd is called into action.
Norris seems to be having fun here, with Chuck throwing in more quips than usual, but the whole thing has an air of “4 AM on Fox TV” to it. It’s unfortunate, because the performances here are earnest, but the production values, cinematography, writing and directing are all a letdown. It’s not enough to have a few comic and action scenes with Chuck to make the film good. This is really nothing more than an extended episode of Walker: Texas Ranger.
The film’s biggest problem is the director’s proclivity toward flashbacks. Its one thing to hint at a scene we just watched, ala CSI, but to show the entire scene we just watched five minutes ago in a different filter is egregious. A subplot involving Teller being at Auschwitz with Colonel Speerman is also unnecessary as the Holocaust flashbacks just end up ringing false instead of giving the film emotional weight.
Also, the character of Dirk is pretty goofy. He’s apparently an international criminal that has a penchant for disguises. These disguises, featuring beards, bald caps, wigs and other things are really ridiculous. The Jackal he is definitely not. Daniel Bernhardt is pretty adept in the action scenes (he was an agent in the The Matrix Reloaded), but ultimately every man must fall to Chuck Norris.
Really, the only reason to watch this film is for Norris, who is genuinely funny and still tries to fill his action scenes with energy. There’s still a little bit of the young Chuck in that 65 year old body, even if he’s lost a lot of steps. Watching Norris break a henchmen’s neck still gives you a bit of a rush, even if he doesn’t blow them away the same way he did the ninjas at the end of The Octagon.
Score: 3.0 /10
The DVD:
The Video
Well the picture is pretty clear, even if the cinematography is Walker quality. The movie is presented in Widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.85 : 1.
The Audio
The audio is the same quality. Those expecting Star Wars quality sound will be disappointed. Those purchasing The Cutter expecting Star Wars quality sound in the first place should probably think about lowering their expectations of “Direct to DVD” titles. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Trailers
Trailers: You get a bunch of trailers here, but most of them are for “Direct to DVD” titles such as Chasing Ghosts starring Michael Madsen, Gary Busey, Michael Rooker, and Meatloaf or The Russian Specialist starring and directed by everyone’s favorite Ivan Drago, Dolph Lundgren. The best part about this trailer gallery is that is has not one, not two, but three Chuck Norris trailers including Missing in Action, An Eye for an Eye, and The Delta Force. This section is getting an extra point as a result.
Score: 2.0 /10
