Line #40 Film/PrimeCut


1	[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/prime_cut_1972.jpeg]]
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3	''Prime Cut'' is a 1972 neo-[[FilmNoir noir]] crime film directed by Creator/MichaelRitchie, starring Creator/LeeMarvin, Creator/GeneHackman and Creator/SissySpacek.
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5	Irish Mob enforcer Nick Devlin (Marvin) travels from Chicago to Kansas City to collect an outstanding debt from the violent slaughterhouse owner Mary Ann (Hackman).
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8	!!Tropes:
9	* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Shea volunteers for the hit because Devlin saved his life during the war.
10	* BigBad: The FauxAffablyEvil Mary Ann has his enemies murdered and ground into sausage meat.
11	* BriefcaseBlaster: Devlin carries a leather attache case containing a sub-machine gun.
12	* BlackAndGreyMorality: Devlin is a very dangerous man, but Mary Ann is involved with HumanTrafficking, pimping, murder, and much worse.
13	%%* TheDragon: Weenie, Mary Ann's mentally retarded brother. Also crosses over with TheBrute because Weenie is very large and strong.
14	%%* CoolCar: Devlin and his three henchmen travel in a black Cadillac.
15	* CoolOldGuy: TeamDad Devlin wears sharp suits and plays it cool in dangerous situations.
16	* ChivalrousPervert: Devlin takes Poppy to dinner in a transparent dress, and then grins like a DirtyOldMan when the other customers stare at her. He is still very protective of her and she returns his affections.
17	* FateWorseThanDeath: Devlin refuses to kill a wounded Mary Ann, and leaves him to die on his back in the pig pen.
18	%%* FatSweatySouthernerInAWhiteSuit: Mary Ann resembles a psychopathic, murderous version of Boss Hogg.
19	* FauxAffablyEvil: Mary Ann hides his vicious nature behind a friendly and civilized facade.
20	* FedToPigs: Mary Ann feeds the remains of his enemies to the pigs to dispose of the evidence, and improve the flavor of the meat.
21	* FromCamouflageToCriminal: Devlin and Shea were soldiers before becoming gangsters.
22	%%* GameOfChicken: The Irish gangsters in their limo try this against the combine harvester that is pursuing Devlin. The car is totally destroyed.
23	* GoingCommando: Poppy wears nothing under her dress.
24	* GoodHairEvilHair: Mary Ann's redneck henchmen have bowl cuts, and Weenie has the BaldOfEvil.
25	%%* IOweYouMyLife: Shea took four slugs in the stomach during the war, but Devlin refused to let him die.
26	%%* InnocenceLost: Poppy's backstory as an orphan sold into prostitution.
27	* InnocentFanserviceGirl: Poppy blushes when the other restaurant patrons stare at her cleavage.
28	* IAmAHumanitarian: It is hinted that girls who have outlived their usefulness are ground into mincemeat and sold to unsuspecting customers.
29	%%* KidSidekick: O'Brien to Devlin.
30	%%* LoveTriangle: Between Devlin, Poppy and Mary Anne's wife.
31	* MayDecemberRomance: The 50 year old Devlin falls in love with teenage prostitute Poppy.
32	* OldSoldier: Devlin's BadAssDriver Shea is a World War II veteran. Devlin is one of the longest serving enforcers in TheIrishMob.
33	%%* OlderHeroVSYoungerVillain: Devil (played by Lee Marvin, who was born in 1924) vs Mary Ann (played by Gene Hackman, who was born in 1930).
34	* OrphansOrdeal: Poppy endures a traumatic childhood of neglect and physical abuse before being sold into prostitution when she came of age.
35	* ThePatriarch: Devlin acts like AFatherToHisMen and attempts to keep them alive until the end of the mission.
36	* ParentalSubstitute: Poppy falls for Devlin because she never had a father of her own.
37	* PeopleFarms: On Mary Anne's farm, orphaned girls are sold into prostitution like cattle being auctioned for their meat.The girls are also named after prize winning cows, like Poppy, Violet or Clarabelle.
38	%%* RedIsHeroic: O'Brien has red hair.
39	* PrettyBoy: O'Brien is barely 20 and still lives with his mother.
40	%%* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: The hillbillies do this to Violet.
41	%%* RealMenEatMeat: Mary Ann thinks eating beef is a patriotic duty.
42	* RuralGangsters: Mary Ann is a Slaughterhouse owner and mob boss in Kansas City, who lives on a cattle farm, has minions who dress in bib overalls and turns people who upset him into sausages. He likewise runs a particularly brutal HumanTrafficking scheme where he gets vulnerable orphaned girls addicted to drugs and then sells them as [[SexSlave Sex Slaves]] in a manner deliberately designed to resemble livestock sales (with him even mockingly renaming the girls after prize-winning cows just to twist the knife further). He's contrasted against [[NobleDemon Nick Devlin]], a gangster from the IrishMob in Chicago (who likewise has a much more professional, [[WickedCultured refined]] and urban aesthetic) who comes to collect an outstanding debt from him, after Mary killed the previous two guys who came for the money.
43	%%* ShootTheDog: O'Brien is murdered by Mary Anne's {{Mooks}} while trying to protect Devlin and Poppy.
44	* TheDogBitesBack: Poppy knocks out the brothel madam who abused her at the orphanage.
45	* VehicularAssault: A mook in a combine harvester tries to crush Devlin.
46	* VaporWear: Poppy is given a transparent green dress by Devlin.
47	* WardensAreEvil: The old EvilOrphanageLady who runs the OrphanageOfFear.
48	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After Poppy's friend Violet is raped and beaten, she's only seen in the background of the orphanage scene, making her very easy to miss.
49	* WickedCultured: Devlin is accustomed to eating in fine restaurants.

Context Film / PrimeCut