Themes: Fathers and Sons, Conspiracies, Assassination Plots
Main Cast: Jeff Bridges, John Huston, Anthony Perkins, Sterling Hayden, Eli Wallach
Release Year: 1979
Country: US
Run Time: 97 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Based on a novel by the iconoclastic Richard Condon (of Manchurian Candidate and Prizzi's Honor fame), Winter Kills was one of the vanguard efforts in the "JFK conspiracy" school of literature. Jeff Bridges stars as Nick Kegan, the scion of a powerful Kennedyesque family, who has done his best to make himself obscure after the assassination of his older brother, the former president of the U.S. While working as an oil rigger, Nick is introduced to a terminally ill gentleman who claims to have been "the second assassin." His curiosity aroused, Nick begins digging into what was supposed to be a closed case -- and, predictably, what he finds out isn't pretty. This, however, is the only predictable element of this mesmerizingly mazelike yarn. A failure when first released, Winter Kills fared somewhat better when director William Richert arranged to rerelease the film through his own company and restore several scenes that had been cut by its previous backers. Elizabeth Taylor appears uncredited as one "Lola Comante." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
This satirical cult favorite might seem a bit demanding at its outset due to its labyrinthine twists and turns but is well worth sticking with because it lives up to the promise of its darkly funny premise. Like The Manchurian Candidate, Winter Kills mixes horrific conspiracy theorizing with black humor to create a surreal blend of deadpan wit and skin-crawling menace. Such a tone is difficult to maintain, but William Richert manages to pull it off by giving the film a sedate, straight-faced stylishness that allows the plot's outrageous machinations to speak for themselves. Solid technical credits help Richert flesh out this approach, especially Vilmos Zsigmond's stylish lensing and a richly textured but always subtle score from Maurice Jarre. More importantly, the carefully modulated performances of the cast bring the story to life in a vivid fashion: Jeff Bridges maintains a low-key style throughout which keeps the material grounded while John Huston steals every scene he is in as his randy, thoroughly corrupt father, and everyone from Sterling Hayden to Anthony Perkins contributes memorable cameos as a rogue's gallery of suspects. In the end, Winter Kills might be a little too off-kilter and challenging for some viewers, but its intelligence and style make it a must for any fan of cult movies. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Dorothy Malone - Emma Kegan; Richard Boone - Keifitz; Belinda Bauer - Yvette Malone; Ralph Meeker - Gameboy Baker; Toshiro Mifune - Keith; Elizabeth Taylor - Lola Comante (uncredited); Joe Spinell - Arthur Fletcher; Tomas Milian - Frank Mayo; Gladys Hill - Rosemary; Berry Berenson - Morgue Attendant; Michael Bond - Flight Engineer; Peter Brandon - Doctor; Loyd Catlett - Z.K. Dawson Guard; Brad Dexter - Capt. Heller One; Tisa Farrow - Nurse Two; Erin Gray - Beautiful Woman Three; Rebecca Grimes - Beautiful Woman Four; Eloise Hardt - Secretary Two; Amanda Jones - Beautiful Woman Seven; Peter Kilman - Pilot; Lissette - Cuban Singer; Donald Moffat - Captain; Joe Ragno - Doorman; Candice Rialson - 2nd Blonde Girl; Gianni Russo - Co-Pilot; Irving Selbst - Irving Mentor; Camilla Sparv - Beautiful Woman One; David Spielberg - Miles Garner; Robert F. Boyle - Desk Clerk; Agneta Eckemyr - Nurse One; Kyle Morris - John Kullens; Susan Walden - Beautiful Woman Three; Loutz Gage - Butler; Chris Soldo - Jeffreys; Billie Allen - Receptionist; Tim Culbertson - Security Guard
Credit
Norman Newberry - Art Director, John H. Starke - Associate Producer, Robert de Mora - Costume Designer, Peter R. Scoppa - First Assistant Director, William Richert - Director, David Bretherton - Editor, Robert Sterling - Executive Producer, Leonard J. Goldberg - Executive Producer, Maurice Jarre - Composer (Music Score), Del Acevedo - Makeup, Robert F. Boyle - Production Designer, Vilmos Zsigmond - Cinematographer, Arthur Jeph Parker - Set Designer, Augie Lohman - Special Effects, Chris Newman - Sound/Sound Designer, William Richert - Screenwriter, Norval D. Crutcher Jr. - Sound Effects Editor, Richard Condon - Book Author
The production went so far over budget that it was shut down three times and declared bankruptcy. The film had been produced by two wealthy marijuana dealers—Robert Sterling and Leonard Goldberg. Goldberg was murdered by the mafia in the middle of production, for failure to pay his debts, and Sterling was later sentenced to 40 years in jail for drug smuggling[1]. William Richert and much of the cast went to Germany and filmed a comedy called The American Success Company which made enough money to fund a resumption of Winter Kills two years later.
Influential publications including the New York Times, Newsweek, and the New Yorker gave positive reviews, but it made little money when released. Richard Condon and William Richert hypothesize that distributor Embassy Pictures killed it deliberately in order to avoid threatening defense contracts elsewhere within the conglomerate.
The film simplifies the plot of the book somewhat, and emphasizes humor. The ending of the movie is ambiguous, leaving it unclear whether President Kegan had been killed by his father (John Huston), or the father's assistant, John Cerruti (Anthony Perkins).
