An early entry into the pseudo-noir, mystery genre, "Cutter's Way" is an enjoyably low-wattage thriller that relies more on characters than set pieces to tell its convoluted tale.

The film begins innocently enough, with Bone (Jeff Bridges), a salesman, leaving behind a satisfied customer at a hotel room. Caught in a rain storm with a broken down car, he is almost run over by a mysterious man driving about at night in shades. Not thinking too much about the incident, Bone borrows his friend, Cutter's (John Heard) car, and heads for home, where Cutter's wife, Maureen (Lisa Eichhorn) is waiting for her one-eyed, crippled husband to return. The next day, Bone is wanted by the police for the murder of a young cheerleader whose body was found in a dump near where his car was left the night before. Suspecting the mysterious man in shades, but with no clue about his identity nor motive, Bone turns to Cutter - an embittered war vet - for help. Soon, the pair are mixed up in a plan of blackmail, revenge and justice that they are both unprepared for.

Very much a character drama disguised as a thriller, Ivan Passer's film is an adroitly handled affair with some elements of suspense suitably mixed in to spice up the plot. Most of the film, however, is devoted to the relationship between Cutter and Bone, and between the two men and Maureen, who is not quite sure which of the two she really loves. As a study into the lives of these old friends, the film is far more fascinating than any of its thriller elements. This is mostly due to the excellent work done by the three actors here. Jeff Bridges plays Bone laconically, as a man too lazy to fight for much until his friendship with Cutter is on the line. Quietly and unobtrusively, he steals the limelight from John Heard's more showy Cutter by underplaying the obvious pangs of attraction his character feels for Lisa Eichhorn's Maureen, and also by remaining a calm, appealing center in the maelstrom which hits their lives. Heard goes the other way, playing Cutter as a loud troublemaker, angry at everything and everyone, a man who doesn't know how to appreciate what he has until it is too late. Sandwiched between the two men, Lisa Eichhorn's Maureen is a sad, mournful creature, the kind of role which Julianne Moore would play very well these days. In this gallery of complex, multi-faceted characters, it is Bridges' consistently steady presence that anchors the film, and his performance here gives us the picture of a wholly realized character.

The film ends somewhat abruptly, albeit on a bang, and that is about the only misstep along the way. Intelligent and convincingly played, "Cutter's Way" - based on Newton Thornburg's novel "Cutter and Bone" - is a well-written, directed and acted drama that deserves to be given another look today.

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