Winter Kills (1979) AVCO Embassy/Suspense-Thriller RT: 97 minutes Rated R (language, violence, nudity, sexual content) Director: William Richert Screenplay: William Richert Music: Maurice Jarre Cinematography: Vilmos Zsigmond Release date: May 17, 1979 (US) Cast: Jeff Bridges, John Huston, Anthony Perkins, Sterling Hayden, Toshiro Mifune, Dorothy Malone, Eli Wallach, Tomas Milian, Richard Boone, Ralph Meeker, Belinda Bauer, Elizabeth Taylor, David Spielberg, Brad Dexter, Michael Thoma, Gladys Hill, Joe Spinell, Irving Selbst, Barbara Richert, Kim O’Brien, Candice Rialson, Helen Curry, Tisa Farrow, Joe Ragno, Erin Gray, Susan Walden, Berry Berenson. Box Office: $1.0M (US)
Rating: *
I’ve heard the conspiracy thriller Winter Kills described as “satirical”. I think the better word is “ridiculous”. Where some would call it a black comedy, I’d call it laughably bad. To be honest, I don’t quite know what to make of it. I’ve been turning it over and over in my mind since I watched it a few days ago and all I can come up with is that it’s either really bad or totally brilliant. No movie can be this absurd without it being intentional, can it? Then how would that account for notorious stinkers like The Postman and Battlefield Earth? On the other hand, maybe writer-director William Richert (The American Success Company) is poking fun at conspiracy thrillers which were popular at the time. I know I’m rambling, but I’m still trying to decide where I stand on Winter Kills. Hmmm, let me see. I’ll get back to you on that.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Jeff Bridges (Starman) stars as Nick Kegan, the younger brother of an assassinated US President. For 19 years, he believed it to be the work of a lone gunman who was subsequently shot to death by a nightclub owner while in police custody on the orders of the Mafia. That changes when a severely injured man claiming to be the second gunman makes a deathbed confession to him. He even tells Nick where to find the rifle he used before he dies. Sure enough, it’s still there, hidden in a drain pipe in a building in Philadelphia. Before he can do anything with it, a sniper fires on him, killing his associate Miles (Spielberg, The Choirboys) and the two city cops that accompanied them. Then somebody absconds with the rifle.
Nick’s investigation takes down many roads. He speaks with several people, all of whom have different stories. Some say the Mafia arranged the assassination with the help of the police. Somebody says the Cubans were involved. One guy tells him a Hollywood studio is behind it because one its biggest actresses, the President’s mistress, killed herself after he broke it off with her. Adding to the mystery is the fact that everybody who gets near the case tends to die under mysterious circumstances. Does any of this sound even remotely familiar? Yes, I think so too.
Winter Kills is a confusing mess. Maybe that’s the point or maybe not. Either way, the plot gets so jumbled that I gave up trying to follow it about midway through. What I can tell you is that certain aspects of it are predictable to the point where even Captain Obvious would roll his eyes in bemusement. Take the mysterious woman, “Yvette Malone” (Bauer, Flashdance), that Nick is sleeping with. It’s immediately clear that she’s somehow involved in all this mess. Why else would she be introduced as a character?
Like most conspiracy thrillers of the time, Winter Kills boasts an all-star cast, most of whom show up for just a scene or two. I hate to say it, but some of the performances are the most embarrassing I’ve ever seen. The biggest offender is John Huston, the director of film classics like The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The African Queen, as the elder Mr. Kegan. His wild overacting is absolutely awful. I’d even say it’s disgraceful. It’s not like Huston can’t act; his supporting performance in Chinatown is terrific. What the hell happened here? Sterling Hayden (Dr. Strangelove) also overdoes it as a crazy old tycoon who threatens Nick with a tank when he shows up with questions about his brother’s murder. Sure, this kind of thing happens every day. Anthony Perkins (Psycho) is fairly stiff as…. I’m not exactly sure. Let’s just say he’s a man with a lot of power. The cast also includes Eli Wallach (The Magnificent Seven), Dorothy Malone (TV’s Peyton Place), Tomas Milian (Traffic), Ralph Meeker (The Dirty Dozen), Toshiro Mifune (Seven Samurai), Richard Boone (Have Gun-Will Travel), Brad Dexter (The Magnificent Seven) and, in an uncredited cameo, Elizabeth Taylor (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?).
Now that I’ve given it some consideration, I’m going to say Winter Kills is a bad movie BUT it’s not an unwatchable one. It works best as an unintentional (?) comedy. Much of the time, I found myself laughing at the absurdity of it all. The only thing I like about is Jeff Bridges, one of the most reliable actors of our generation. He can always be counted on to deliver strong performances even under the worst circumstances. Aside from Bridges, Winter Kills is an unintelligible mess with an ending I’m not sure I understand. It’s worth watching at least once for the sheer ludicrousness of it all.
