Review: The Film, Prizzi’s Honor…

Only Jack Nicholson (About Schmidt) can get away with wearing a bright yellow blazer. The one he sports in Prizzi’s Honor (1985) was a gift from his on-again-off-again squeeze, Anjelica Huston (The Grifters), who co-starred in this film and won an Academy Award for her performance as Maerose Prizzi. 

But that yellow blazer. It’s a classic. I know I’d get laughed out of the room if I wore anything like it. 

Nicholson plays Charley Partanna, a hitman and fixer for the Prizzi crime family, based out of Brooklyn, NY, who runs the East Coast mob businesses. At a family wedding, he eyes Irene Walker (Kathleen Turner, Romancing the Stone), “the woman in the lavender dress,” whom Charley asks to dance. They dance and fall for each other. Their chemistry is instant and electric. 

Sent to a job on the West Coast, he meets up with Irene, who just happens to be the wife of his hit target. What follows is a dark comedy of lies, betrayals, and cover-ups that ultimately ends in tragedy. Charley has to make a choice and pay for his decision. 

But Charley and Irene love each other. 

Needless to say, Nicholson and Turner light up the screen with their chemistry. Nicholson plays Charley as a gruff yet likable Brooklyn tough guy, while Turner portrays Irene as a smooth-talking, cheerful manipulator. Even when they’re angry with each other, which happens often, they make up and decide to maintain their relationship until ultimate betrayals are revealed. 

Taken from a script by Richard Condon (The Manchurian Candidate) and Janet Roach (A Nero Wolfe Mystery), the story lampoons older mobsters, giving them quirks and charm. Under the direction of John Huston (Chinatown), the film’s pacing dashes when it needs to, jogs when character-building slides in, and slows down at thrilling moments. Every moment in the film is craftily created, measured, and delivered.

The supporting cast includes some of Hollywood’s greatest character actors, all playing straitlaced mobsters with appropriate comic timing. Robert Loggia (Big) plays Eduardo Prizzi, the loyal lieutenant, eldest son of Don Corrado Prizzi (William Hickey, Forget Paris), who at first appears crotchety and short-tempered, but has a keen mind and a warm heart. John Randolph (Serpico) plays Angelo “Pop” Partanna, Charley’s father, who never underestimates the difference between love and loyalty. Lee Richardson (Network) plays Dominic Prizzi, Maerose’s father, who lets too much pride get in the way of family loyalty. 

I highly recommend this film. As a result of watching it, I want to see more Jack Nicholson films, and I’ve added a few to my TBW List.