Winter Kills (1977)
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86% of critics liked it
(14 reviews) -
50% of users liked it
(803 ratings)
This exhilarating kaleidoscope of a movie, from a surreally layered novel by Richard Condon (The Manchurian Candidate), combines post-Watergate paranoia, gallows humor, political sci-fi, dazzling suspense set pieces, something we might call postmodern historical burlesque, and gonzo performances by… More This exhilarating kaleidoscope of a movie, from a surreally layered novel by Richard Condon (The Manchurian Candidate), combines post-Watergate paranoia, gallows humor, political sci-fi, dazzling suspense set pieces, something we might call postmodern historical burlesque, and gonzo performances by a truly all-star cast. It's held together by Jeff Bridges as the surviving scion of a Kennedy-like dynasty who reluctantly sets out to solve his brother's assassination. John Huston's own dynastic credentials and rough-hewn aristocracy make him perfect casting as the family patriarch, a simultaneously genial and appalling American monster. Writer-director William Richert, a virtual unknown, somehow corraled an amazing ensemble, including an unbilled Liz Taylor, North by Northwest production designer Robert Boyle (who also contributes a delicious cameo), composer Maurice Jarre, and the great cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond. The widescreen camerawork and zesty primary-color palette demand DVD, which may finally do right by this quintessential '70s film that the '70s just weren't ready for. --Richard T. Jameson
- Rating, Runtime
- R, 1 hr. 37 min.
- Directed By
- William Richert
- Genres
- Mystery & Suspense, Drama
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1977 Wide
- On DVD
- Mar 18, 2003
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
Huston gives a powerhouse performance, and Bridges, always likeable, runs through his repertoire of facial expressions and grimaces, but it's a lost cause.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
Winter Kills" isn't exactly a comedy, but it's funny. And it isn't exactly serious, but it takes on the serious business of the Kennedy assassination.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
The film is funny, but it's frightening and vertiginous, too -- a complex tone that apparently left audiences baffled.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Though it garnered little attention in theaters, it has become a cult favorite on video.
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Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
As an absurdist take on conspiracy thrillers, it's close to brilliant -- assuming you get the joke, which audiences don't seem to have in 1979.
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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
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