A movie ahead of its time
by Ken Cornwell
Winter Kills (1979)
Written & Directed by William Richert
A popular president, son of a wealthy and influential industrialist and member of a prominent American family, is assassinated by a lone gunman. Years after his death, it slowly becomes apparent that there may have been a conspiracy and a cover-up of the real circumstances of his death. Sound familiar? No, it's not another JFK documentary, but the plot of the black comic thriller Winter Kills that begins as an eerie echo of real life events and veers off in strange and fascinating directions.
This is one of those tough movies to discuss, because it's best not to know too much of its labyrinthine plot. |
In the world of Winter Kills , nineteen years have passed since the assassination of President Timothy Kegan, killed by a lone gunman in Philadelphia. Just a child when his brother was killed, half-brother, Nick (Jeff Bridges) has turned his back on politics and achievement of any kind as a kind of rebuke to the Kegan family patriarch (John Huston), choosing to spend his time at sea with the family's naval operations. However, Nick's suddenly thrust into an active role when he's witness to the deathbed confession of a man claiming to be the true assassin. Eager to figure everything out, Nick rushes to Philadelphia and discovers a long hidden shotgun that appears to be the true murder weapon. A shocking killing takes place and the mysterious weapon is stolen; and this is just the beginning because there are layers upon layers of secrets, hidden agendas, and deceits for Nick to unravel.
This is one of those tough movies to discuss, because it's best not to know too much of its labyrinthine plot. That's okay though because relating the plot doesn't begin to touch upon how wacky this movie really is with its twists and turns, frequent murders and murder attempts, and hapless Jeff Bridges adrift in the middle of it all. We get a whole bunch of scenery chewing from top actors including Huston's Pa Kegan, driving around his estate in a golf cart wearing a bathrobe, Anthony Perkins, channeling Norman Bates, as Pa Kegan's chief of security (and maybe the power behind the power), and Sterling Hayden, Pa Kegan's business rival and war games fan (he likes to drive around in real tanks). And that's not all: Belinda Bauer plays Nick's mysterious girlfriend with a vaguely European (fake?) accent and a unique method for getting around the "skirts only" requirement at a fancy restaurant. Plus, Elizabeth Taylor cameos in a nearly wordless role as a madam with a surprising connection to the president.
In some ways, the story behind the movie is almost as interesting as the story in the movie. It took years for William Richert, a first time director, to get a studio to back the film and additional time to assemble his dream cast. Filming began only to have it shut down when the financing fell apart. With most of his crew, Bridges, and Bauer, Richert went off and shot another film, "The American Success Company", in the hopes that this second film would be successful enough to make it possible to complete "Winter Kills." Somehow they managed to find the necessary funds, got the cast and crew back together and finished the film. But in a last bit of sad irony, "Winter Kills" died at the box office when it was finally released in 1979.
Over the years, it's become something of a cult favorite as people have come to appreciate its indictment of big business run amok, political corruption, and dark humor. Perhaps, it was just one of those movies that's ahead of its time. But in the wake of conspiracy minded flicks like JFK and unfortunate real life events, Winter Kills seems more contemporary now than ever.
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