Italian cannibal cinema is a weird, sweaty, and often genuinely upsetting corner of film history. Most people know Ruggero Deodato because of Cannibal Holocaust, the movie that famously got him hauled into an Italian court to prove he hadn't actually murdered his actors on camera. But by 1985, the "cannibal" craze was basically gasping its last breath. Deodato, ever the provocateur, decided to pivot. He didn't just want to show people eating people anymore; he wanted to make an action-adventure-horror hybrid that felt like a fever dream. That’s how we got the cut and run film, also known by its much more aggressive Italian title, Inferno in Diretta.
It’s a bizarre movie. Honestly, it’s one of the few films from that era that manages to be both a critique of sensationalist media and a prime example of it. You’ve got Michael Berryman—the iconic, bald-headed antagonist from The Hills Have Eyes—running around the South American jungle with a machete, playing a character who is genuinely terrifying because he doesn't say a word. Then you have Richard Lynch, a man whose face was practically built for playing charismatic villains, leading a Jim Jones-style cult. It’s a lot to take in.
What is Cut and Run actually about?
The plot is a bit of a zigzag. We follow a TV reporter, played by Lisa Blount, and her cameraman (Leonard Mann) as they head into the jungle to track down a story about a massive drug smuggling operation. But this isn't Narcos. They quickly realize they’ve stumbled into something way darker: a Colonel Kurtz-style situation where a former Colonel named Brian Horne (Lynch) has set up a murderous cult that is slaughtering anyone who gets in their way.
There's this specific vibe in cut and run film that you just don't see in modern cinema. It’s gritty. It’s humid. You can almost smell the stagnant water and the gunpowder coming off the screen. Deodato was filming on location in Miami and Venezuela, and he used that environment to ground the more outlandish elements of the script. When a character gets hit with a poisoned dart or a machete, the gore isn't "fun" in a slasher movie kind of way. It’s mean. It’s clinical.
The Media Critique Nobody Expected
One thing that really separates this from other jungle exploitation flicks of the 80s is how it views the press. Deodato was clearly obsessed with the idea of the "lens" as a weapon. In Cannibal Holocaust, the filmmakers were the villains. In cut and run film, the journalists are more like reckless adrenaline junkies. They’re willing to put themselves and others in horrific danger just for the "live" shot. It asks a question that still feels relevant in the era of viral TikToks and 24-hour news cycles: where is the line between reporting the news and participating in the carnage?
The Cast: Why Richard Lynch and Michael Berryman Matter
If you’re a genre fan, the cast list for this movie is basically a Hall of Fame. Richard Lynch was a master of his craft. He had this way of looking at the camera that made you feel like he knew your darkest secrets. In this movie, he plays a man who has completely lost his grip on reality but has enough charisma to lead an army. It's a nuanced performance in a movie that usually prefers to blow things up.
Then there's Michael Berryman.
Berryman is a legend for a reason. He has Hypohidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia, which gives him a unique physical appearance that Hollywood spent decades exploiting for "monster" roles. But in the cut and run film, he’s used as a pure force of nature. He doesn't need a complex backstory. He just needs to be there, looming in the trees. It’s effective because it taps into that primal fear of being hunted in a place where you don't know the rules.
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- Lisa Blount gives a surprisingly grounded performance as Fran Hudson.
- Richard Lynch brings a Shakespearean weight to the cult leader trope.
- Leonard Mann plays the cameraman with a sort of weary cynicism that feels very authentic to 80s photojournalism.
- Karen Black (yes, that Karen Black) shows up, because why not?
Behind the Scenes: The Chaos of Deodato’s Set
Making a movie like this in the mid-80s wasn't like a modern Marvel shoot. There were no green screens. If the script said a boat was going to explode in a river, they went out and exploded a boat in a river. Deodato was known for being a "tough" director, which is a polite way of saying he was a nightmare to work for. He pushed his crews to the limit.
There are stories from the production of cut and run film about the heat, the insects, and the general danger of filming in the jungle. It adds an unintended layer of realism. When you see the actors sweating, they aren't wearing "stage sweat" sprayed on by a makeup artist. They are actually melting in the Venezuelan humidity. This "guerrilla" style of filmmaking is what gives the movie its jagged edge. It feels dangerous because it was dangerous.
The Survival of the Jungle Subgenre
By 1985, the Italian film industry was starting to collapse. The high-budget "spaghetti westerns" were long gone, and the horror boom was fading. Cut and run film represents a last-ditch effort to merge Italian exploitation with American action sensibilities. It’s got car chases, helicopter stunts, and massive gunfights, but it still keeps that "nasty" Italian DNA that makes you want to take a shower after watching it.
It’s often compared to The Emerald Forest or The Mission, but those movies have a soul. This movie has a switchblade. It’s not trying to make you cry; it’s trying to make you flinch.
Why You Should Care About Cut and Run Today
You might be wondering why anyone would bother watching a 40-year-old jungle movie. Honestly, it’s about the craftsmanship. We live in a world of CGI blood and perfectly lit sets. Watching the cut and run film is a reminder of what movies looked like when they were made of physical matter. When someone falls through a roof in this movie, a real human being is falling through a real roof.
There’s also the historical context. This film marks the transition from the "cannibal" era to the "mercenary" era of Italian cinema. It’s a bridge between two worlds. If you’re a student of film history, or just someone who likes seeing Michael Berryman do what he does best, it’s essential viewing. It’s also a reminder that Ruggero Deodato was more than just the "cannibal guy." He was a filmmaker who understood tension and knew how to manipulate an audience's discomfort.
Finding the Best Version
If you’re going to watch it, don't just grab any old copy. For years, the cut and run film was only available in grainy, cut-down VHS versions that looked like they were filmed through a sock. You want the uncut version. Several boutique labels, like Grindhouse Releasing, have done incredible work restoring these films. You want to see the vibrant greens of the jungle and the (disturbingly) bright red of the practical blood effects.
The "unrated" or "uncut" versions restore about 15 minutes of footage that was stripped out for US theatrical releases. Most of that footage is—you guessed it—extreme violence. But that violence is part of the point. It’s meant to be jarring. It’s meant to make the jungle feel like a place where human laws don't apply.
How to approach this film for the first time
If you're diving into the world of Deodato for the first time, don't expect a standard action movie. Expect something weirder.
- Check your expectations. This isn't Rambo. It's much more cynical and much more interested in the "ick" factor of the jungle.
- Look for the subtext. Pay attention to how the journalists talk about their "scoop." It's a pretty biting commentary on how we consume tragedy as entertainment.
- Appreciate the practical effects. In an age of digital everything, the pyrotechnics and makeup work here are genuinely impressive.
- Research the era. Understanding the "video nasty" era in the UK and the censorship battles of the 80s makes watching the cut and run film a much richer experience.
The best way to experience this movie is to treat it like a time capsule. It’s a window into a time when movies could be messy, mean, and deeply political all at the same time. Whether you love it or hate it, you won't forget it. That’s more than you can say for most of the stuff on streaming services these days.
If you're a physical media collector, look for the Blu-ray releases that include interviews with Deodato. He remained defiant about his style of filmmaking until his passing, and hearing him talk about the logistical nightmares of filming in the jungle adds a whole new layer to the experience. You realize that the chaos on screen was often mirrored by the chaos behind the camera. That’s the magic of 80s exploitation cinema—it’s honest about its own madness.