This film has fallen from my 1980's assessment of "brilliant" down to "really very good". Why the slight slope off? Mostly because I think it positions itself as a comedy, but it's not particularly funny. What it is is devilishly clever, with an amazingly black heart. I'm not surprised that it's adapted from a novel by Richard Condon because it's funny kind of in the same manner as "The Manchurian Candidate" (which might even be funnier).

It's best not to even tackle the plot because even this poster feels like a spoiler to me. All of the accolades back in the 80's seemed to go to Anjelica Huston and William Hickey, partly because I think they were kind of new discoveries and turn in great, really eccentric and mannered performances. I think Nicholson and Turner deserve more praise than they got. Nicholson's rare performance as a really dumb man is wonderful, and Turner pulls off a really sunny performance as a really bleak and duplicitous character.

Well actually, that's what happens, but you'll have to catch the movie to see how it all plays out.

This movie might have been the inspiration for another husband/wife assassination team some three decades later. In it's way, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" was way over the top and mindless, but still a fun film to watch. In addition to being a gangster story, this one also comes across as something of a caper flick, what with the kidnapping of bank embezzler Filargi (Michael Lombard), and the hoops required to jump through on the part of Kathleen Turner's character. She's Irene Walker, the love interest of Charley Partanna (Jack Nicholson), in a story that relies on it's share of coincidences before it all comes to a head. However if you're up on your Mafia protocol, the idea that Dominic Prizzi (Lee Richardson) would go over his father's head to take out a contract on Charley is somewhat dubious. Especially since Don Corrado Prizzi ((William Hickey) was about to make Charley the family boss, in itself a somewhat less than credible order of transition. But hey, it's just a story after all.

The one idea that holds fast in the movie is that blood is thicker than water, and when it comes time for Charley to decide which way he'll go when he's ordered to take out his new wife Irene, he's only conflicted about it for a little while. I have to admit, I was wondering how this was all going to play out, because the story has you going in a couple of different directions. I can't say that I was happy that Charley had such a good aim, but it did reinforce the notion that Mafia Families have their own code of honor. Just ask Fredo Corleone.

Had the makings of great movie - original and interesting basic plot, one of the greatest directors of all time in John Huston, plus the acting talents of Jack Nicholson, Kathleen Turner and Angelica Huston.

Yet it falls short.

The movie lacks intensity and the script seems disjointed at times. Pacing is off, and the feel of the movie is far from smooth.

Not exactly boring, but could easily have been a lot better.