FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Leofwine_draca A gory return to the jungle for Ruggero Deodato and perhaps his last really gruesome film - certainly those which followed (a list which includes the likes of DIAL: HELP and THE BARBARIANS) didn't have as much gore and bloodshed in them as this or the director's own graphically nasty masterpiece CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST. Unfortunately, in the seventeen years since it was first made, CUT AND RUN has been the victim of censorship worldwide. The American print was heavily cut, the UK print butchered of all gore and the only uncut versions were in a foreign language - French I think. Thankfully this is looking to change with the welcome recent release of an Anchor Bay DVD which presents the movie in all its widescreen, letterboxed glory. This is definitely one film which needs to be seen uncut to appreciate the full extent of the special effects crew.It's not that the gore is graphic - aside from a couple of moments, it's really no worse than any other mid '80s horror movie, complete with splattery decapitations and a brief stomach-slashing followed by some entrail pulling. There's no cannibalism here as the natives are friendlier than most, instead preferring to kill their victims by shooting them with blow darts in the neck or sticking them with knives. Yet Deodato still knows how to shock and surprise his audience when they least expect it, throwing in a couple of neck-hackings complete with spraying blood, splattery gun shot wounds, females getting nailed through their limbs, stomach impalings and a brief gutting. However, all of these (superior) effects - notable through their realism, the special effects are magnificently realistic here - are put in the shade by one graphically nasty moment which features a man getting his entire body split in two after his legs are pulled in opposite directions by being tied to two different trees. Yuck! Certainly one of the strongest gore effects I have yet to see and unforgettably sticky.Otherwise the film takes the form of a straight action-adventure, throwing about three different sides into the midst of a remote jungle location and having them blast the hell out of each other. Drug pushers are being murdered across America and a reporter and her cameraman investigate the deaths, often arriving at the crime scenes before the police. They're employed by the wealthy Bob Allo to travel into the Amazon to rescue his son, Tommy, who has been thrown into a drug mining prison camp by dealers (shades of CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST here as the pair film the various atrocities they discover and broadcast it via a satellite link-up back to Allo in the US). Unfortunately a third party is also interested in the dealers, led by Colonel Brian Horne who was a close friend of Jim Jones.The setting is effective as usual for an Italian movie, lush green scenery beautifully shot, and all of the typical ingredients are here - attacks by crocodiles, blow-pipe shooting natives, a machete-wielding Michael Berryman (okay, maybe that one's unusual), jungle traps, rape, prison camps, and a voluptuous girl nude in the shower (the last one comes as no surprise seeing as this is a dyed-in-the-wool exploitation epic). In fact when the cast members arrive in the jungle about halfway through it makes you release how unnatural the scenes set in America feel - Deodato really does have some kind of spiritual connection to the jungle and makes it his own unique gory stomping ground! Also in the film's favour is the great exploitation movie cast, plenty of familiar faces putting in solid if not spectacular performances. Lisa Blount gives it her all as the stressed-out female reporter, kind of like a Heather Donahue for the '80s and is pretty as well as being sassy and assertive when the time comes. Leonard Mann, Willie Aames and Richard Bright play three male cast leads with a fair degree of skill that makes you feel for the characters vaguely. Then there's Richard Lynch as Colonel Horne whose character and acting is definitely inspired by Brando's Colonel Kurtz in APOCALYPSE NOW! Karen Black is on hand as Allo's ally but has absolutely nothing to do with the action whilst Eriq La Salle (more commonly known today as a doctor on ER) plays a loud - clothes-wise - street friend ala Antonio Fargas. Two Italian action stalwarts - Gabriele Tinti and the British John Steiner - are also welcome playing a pair of drug pushers who get graphically murdered. Finally we have Michael Berryman (THE HILLS HAVE EYES) once again playing a very scary chap, a white indio who jumps out of rivers and murders people in some scary shock sequences (my favourite being the opening scene in which he jumps about seven feet out of the water to gut some poor extra). The cast and the gore make CUT AND RUN the last jungle classic to come from Italy.

videorama-759-859391 Cut And Run is a shockingly violent film, that I've just seen, where even back in it's time, would of been over violent, like some of those one off shockers of the 80's. I almost regret not seeing it back in the 8O's, where with the not most inviting of covers, it would of been interesting to see my reaction back at 15, whatever. Even, in it's explosive start, it's shockingly violent, but worse comes later, believe me. The cover actually falsifies Berryman, as if one of the major stars. Like other flicks, his ugly dial only appears at a couple moments here, where he's mostly doing harm. The movie has a bad script, with plain dialogue I couldn't believe, as if through bits of it, a three year old stepped on board. It has some bad actors, where I think you can pinpoint them out. Lisa Blount as an impulsive reporter, Fran, is the real acting strength in this film. She and her cameraman, are on this mission to fly to the lush Columbian jungle to track down the boss's son Tommy (Aames, miscast) who's been used as a muel in the drug smuggling trade, with a hot young Brazilian honey, her nubile nude body, used as sexual collateral. Also, if she's lucky, Blount will score an interview with a enigmatic figure (Lynch) who escaped the Jonestown Massacre which saw a suicide pact of over three hundred people, an interesting angle to a sometimes disjointed story, or lack of it. I'll be honest, this is a bad movie, but it's bloody gruesome too. There are some good action bits and exciting ones, but other parts are slow and dull, you'll almost want something to happen or turn off, as the direction story isn't really one that grabs you, where judging by that, the future of the story doesn't look that much brighter. Being an Italian exploitation flick, the music again impresses, too, the score at the explosive opening. When finally seeing Richard Lynch, again it's worth the wait as the fine late great actor, again doesn't disappoint. I wish I could say more positive stuff about this film, a similarity shared to the director's earlier pic, Cannibal Holocaust is the run ins with deadly reptiles, etc.

BA_Harrison Five years after he shocked the world with his controversial gut-muncher Cannibal Holocaust, director Ruggero Deodato returned to the jungle to deliver another dose of nastiness in the form of brutal adventure Cut and Run.In this entertaining slice of gory, exploitative action, Lisa Blount plays Fran, a TV reporter who, along with her cameraman Mark (Leonard Mann), travels to the Amazon where she hopes to interview Colonel Brian Horne (Richard Lynch), the supposedly dead right-hand-man of infamous cult leader Jim Jones, whilst also attempting to locate her boss's missing son Tommy (Willy Aames), who is being held in the jungle against his will by evil drug traffickers.Despite once again dealing with the themes of reportage and the media, Deodato stays clear of any attempts at a Cannibal Holocaust-style social commentary, preferring instead to concentrate on giving viewers a bloody good time (and I mean bloody!). Large amounts of graphic violence (which includes numerous decapitations and impalements, a disembowelment, and a guy being completely torn in half); frequent scenes of rape and female nudity (including welcome nekkidness from the gorgeous Valentina Forte); and a whole lot of nonsense involving a tribe of bloodthirsty natives (led by bald genre favourite Michael Berryman): all of this takes precedence over narrative cohesion, but it matters not a jot, 'cos you'll be having way too much fun to care.In addition to all the gory mayhem, we are also treated to a dreadful cameo performance from Karen Black, a nifty turn from ER's Eriq La Salle as a fedora wearing informant, an effective synth score from Goblin's Claudio Simonetti, lush cinematography by Alberto Spagnoli, and, perhaps best of all, a chance to see Willy Aames display his complete lack of emotional range in some unintentionally hilarious dramatic scenes.Nowhere near as horrific as Holocaust, nor quite as gruelling as Deodato's Jungle Holocaust, Cut and Run is still a worthwhile example of the jungle adventure/survival horror sub genre—just make sure that you watch the uncut version for full effect!

Helltopay27 Cut and Run is as unique a film as any, and it's made better by the fact that it succeeds so well at what it does. Even after being criticized and heavily censored the world over, Ruggero Deodato still has the balls to return to the jungle only naturally to complete his epic trilogy. Though not a cannibal film, Cut and Run is still a brutal, in-your-face gore thriller that delivers the goods as well as any Hollywood production (and then some), and is one of the most violent films I've ever seen (even more violent than Cannibal Ferox, which boasted to be the most violent film ever made). But even being a violent exploitation film, it's a great and effective thriller as well. Yes, I may have a soft spot for jungle/native films, but being a slave to the sleaze doesn't mean I can't recognize films that are actually legitimate. I was enthralled by every aspect, including decent acting (better than most dubbed films), non-stop action, an involved plot, and a fun mystery (it joins Amazonia as the only Italian jungle film I've seen that is also a mystery movie). It never lets up on the action or the horror; it's a perfect blend. While there are some seriously grotesque displays, it also keeps moving to make it a thrill a minute gore show.A reporter, Fran, and her cameraman, Mark, are following a Columbian drug operation that's leaving dozens of people slaughtered by unknown assassins. While investigating, they come across a photo that has Tommy in it, who is the missing son of an exec at their station. Also in the photo is a believed dead leader of the Jonestown massacre, Colonel Brian Horne. They're given permission to fly in and uncover whatever may be happening, all for the sake of sensationalism (and to find their boss's son, of course). The two blackmail the pilot who flies to one of the jungle encampments that Tommy is at. Right when they're flying in, the installation becomes the next target of annihilation, and every drug runner is violently butchered. While in hiding from the assassins, Fran and Mark encounter Tommy's girlfriend, Ana, and the three flee into the jungle. While the two news-persons are making a satellite broadcast, Ana is butchered by the natives. Mark and Fran run off again, and then they soon run into Tommy. Now lost, the trio is captured by Brian Horne and his army of natives. It turns out that Horne has been slaughtering the drug installations to steal the coke and sell it for himself. Unbeknownst to him, Mark and Fran's broadcasts have the authorities hot on Horne's tail.Cut and Run works because it stays an action movie when it has the blatant opportunity to turn into a mindless bloodbath and slaughter mayhem. Not saying that it doesn't have it's own share of blood and gore, which this "hard" version is notorious for, but it doesn't relish in the violence; the gore isn't exploited so that it would be pure and simple horror in the jungle (except for maybe the first scene, which in reality sets a good tone for the rest of the movie). Had it done that, it would simply become another "Been there, done that" horror show that Deodato had already mastered with Cannibal Holocaust, so why would he want to do that again? Instead, he knew when to give the audience a break from the horror, and also knew when to pick it up again so that it doesn't turn into a boring stroll through the rain forest. That's definitely what Cut and Run has going for it: it stays moving. There's never even a chance for you to become bored. Questions like "How did the house in Miami get slaughtered?" never rises while you're watching, because by the time you've thought enough to ask why, Michael Berryman is leading another all-out assault on another compound. He added the perfect key to the rest of the film by his genuinely creepy performance reminiscent of The Hills Have Eyes. It was a disappointment to see him knocked out of commission so early on in the film, but he adds the last little twist to the end of the movie.In the end, Cut and Run is a very well executed action/thriller that tries to be nothing more than what it is. It's crossing of so many genres may be a bit ambitious (it sounds like it could be a Schwarzenegger film, but it's also a mystery and a soap opera), but it's able to tie them together so well that it's never looked down upon for biting off a little more than it can chew. There are no production problems that might spoil viewing except for a few questionable actors. Most of the characters, however, are dubbed over very well, giving performances not usually seen in exploitation films. This film is proof that Ruggero Deodato is one of the most underrated directors in the history of film, because it showcases his talents in that he can make his work different and yet as entertaining as anything that Hollywood craps out onto celluloid. His directing decisions are so ballsy because he isn't afraid to show the gruesome displays that most won't touch. He also tries to tie in his criticism of media sensationalism in this like he did in Cannibal Holocaust, but since the media is the good guys here, the message never really comes across. Still, kudos for one hell of a ride.