Synopsis

8 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture – Winner for Best Supporting Actress (Anjelica Huston).

Short pooper:
Irene (Kathleen Turner) is a contract killer hired by Dominic (Lee Richardson) to kill Charley (Jack Nicholson). Charley, nonetheless, falls for her, marries her and they even do a risky kidnapping job together, but, in the end, is forced to kill her -when she tries to get the upper hand on him- and returns to former lover Maerose (Anjelica Huston).

Longer version:
Charley falling for “tax consultant” Irene Walker, and later marrying her, creates an escalating chain of complications for himself and the Prizzi crime family for which he works as a hitman; more so when Prizzi member -and a former lover of his- Maerose, out of spite, reveals to her own father Dominic and the family’s Don, Corrado (William Hickey), how Irene was involved in the casino scam, screwing the family over with her -and her former husband Marxie’s (Joseph Ruskin)- actions. This somewhat restores her image, especially with her father, having been somewhat disowned in the past and branded a “black sheep” after she ran off with some other man without formally finishing her relationship with Charley.

Meanwhile, Charley’s father, Angelo (John Randolph), discovers that Irene is, in reality, a hit-woman who operates independently, and discloses it to Charley; he in turn, although dismayed, does not seem fazed by it. Dominic, having been jealous of Charley for a long time, sees all this as an opportunity to eliminate him and puts out a contract for his murder, unaware that Irene herself picks it up. This elevates the tension in the somewhat already weird relationship of Charley and Irene, him suspecting she could actually kill him -not knowing about the hit- and her acting increasingly suspicious.