Winter Kills

Starring: Richard Condon, Jeff Bridges, John Huston, Anthony Perkins

Directed by: William Richert

RS: 3of 4 Stars

1977 Thriller

The 1970s were the golden age of Hollywood paranoia -- from The Parallax View to Network to Three Days of the Condor. But as the Reagan years hovered into view, the studios began to lose their nerve. Which, effectively, left the fearless, mind-blown black comedy Winter Kills, released for about two weeks in 1979, an orphan.

Jeff Bridges is the younger brother of a felled president who uncovers the truth about his country and his family. Equally shocking, he also encounters his father, played by legendary director John Huston, in a pair of bright bikini underwear. A second disc of extras tells the story of how Winter Kills was left for dead -- which in itself would make an entertaining movie.

WILL DANA
(April 22, 2003)