It was marketed is the goriest western ever made. It has been categorized as a horror film. It is not, and it's all the better for it. Cut-Throats Nine is indeed gory, but that is not the primary focus of the film. It has a great story to go along with it, full of intriguing characters and great visuals.
But before we get off the subject of gore, let's talk about it. The gore in this film is great and it's very well-done. It's fun and exciting and gross when it should be but not overly revolting as may be suggested by the "terror mask" required for all viewers, per early advertisements. It's hard for me to say just how realistic the violence in this movie is, as I'm not an expert in that sort of thing and don't know how much a person's real life guts might look like a tin of spaghetti, but the effects are very masterfully done, look great on the screen, and get the desired reaction and then some. But the film isn't constantly violent. The bloodshed comes and goes from scene to scene. Some scenes have it and some don't, and sometimes we follow the story for a long time without any violence. It is never forced into the story for its own sake and that's what is good about it. I almost get the impression that the idea to market this film based on its gore was an afterthought, not planned for before shooting the film, and possibly only decided on when the filmmakers realized how truly well the effects had been accomplished.
Moving on to the story, it's nothing that's never been done before. We've got some convicts in the old west, some bandits and a man out to avenge his murdered wife. But at the same time, the way it's all put together, it still feels fresh enough to keep the viewer engaged. And the best part about the story is how it's told. It's very well stylized, but not overly so. I love how we get a glimpse into each character's past, seeing flashes of their memories at pivotal moments. We only linger there for a few seconds and never get the whole story, but we get just enough. Sometimes we don't even see anything that directly advanced the story, but it always tells us something about the character. But the way that it's done—along with the opening narration and a few other aspects of the film—at first make it seem a bit corny, until you realize that the director knew exactly what he was doing and everything works together for the overall effect of the film.
The one primary drawback for me was the film's setting. A group of convicts navigates its way through the harsh, wintry mountains, and they spend a good deal of the film in those mountains. It looks like much of it was shot on the same acre of land, using different angles to make it seem like they were going places. This sort of thing normally wouldn't bother me, but in an adventure movie with characters moving from place to place, I would like a little bit more variety.
I saw the VHS cut of this film, which clocks in at 83 minutes. Much more might have felt too long, given the stale environment, but at that length it maintains a great pace and would be easy to watch again and again and to share with friends.
I wouldn't suggest everyone rush out to find this movie as soon as possible, and a good-quality copy seems impossible to find, but it's worth viewing if you get the chance. I recommend Cut-Throats Nine to anyone who is in the mood for a good, fun midnight western and doesn't want to think too much. Just don't forget your terror mask!
But before we get off the subject of gore, let's talk about it. The gore in this film is great and it's very well-done. It's fun and exciting and gross when it should be but not overly revolting as may be suggested by the "terror mask" required for all viewers, per early advertisements. It's hard for me to say just how realistic the violence in this movie is, as I'm not an expert in that sort of thing and don't know how much a person's real life guts might look like a tin of spaghetti, but the effects are very masterfully done, look great on the screen, and get the desired reaction and then some. But the film isn't constantly violent. The bloodshed comes and goes from scene to scene. Some scenes have it and some don't, and sometimes we follow the story for a long time without any violence. It is never forced into the story for its own sake and that's what is good about it. I almost get the impression that the idea to market this film based on its gore was an afterthought, not planned for before shooting the film, and possibly only decided on when the filmmakers realized how truly well the effects had been accomplished.
Moving on to the story, it's nothing that's never been done before. We've got some convicts in the old west, some bandits and a man out to avenge his murdered wife. But at the same time, the way it's all put together, it still feels fresh enough to keep the viewer engaged. And the best part about the story is how it's told. It's very well stylized, but not overly so. I love how we get a glimpse into each character's past, seeing flashes of their memories at pivotal moments. We only linger there for a few seconds and never get the whole story, but we get just enough. Sometimes we don't even see anything that directly advanced the story, but it always tells us something about the character. But the way that it's done—along with the opening narration and a few other aspects of the film—at first make it seem a bit corny, until you realize that the director knew exactly what he was doing and everything works together for the overall effect of the film.
The one primary drawback for me was the film's setting. A group of convicts navigates its way through the harsh, wintry mountains, and they spend a good deal of the film in those mountains. It looks like much of it was shot on the same acre of land, using different angles to make it seem like they were going places. This sort of thing normally wouldn't bother me, but in an adventure movie with characters moving from place to place, I would like a little bit more variety.
I saw the VHS cut of this film, which clocks in at 83 minutes. Much more might have felt too long, given the stale environment, but at that length it maintains a great pace and would be easy to watch again and again and to share with friends.
I wouldn't suggest everyone rush out to find this movie as soon as possible, and a good-quality copy seems impossible to find, but it's worth viewing if you get the chance. I recommend Cut-Throats Nine to anyone who is in the mood for a good, fun midnight western and doesn't want to think too much. Just don't forget your terror mask!