Winter Kills

In William Richert's 1979 cult classic, Jeff Bridges shines as the bewildered Nick Kegan, half-brother of an assassinated president (clearly modeled on Kennedy) and son of an immensely powerful patriarch (played by John Huston--in red bikini underwear, no less). Nineteen years after the murder, Nick hears from the lips of a dying man new evidence that would reopen the case--a revelation that sends him on a wild goose chase that leads him to (among others) Richard Boone, Toshiro Mifune, Dorothy Malone, Eli Wallach, Sterling Hayden, Anthony Perkins, and Elizabeth Taylor. Everyone has a finger to point, and no one is giving kosher directions. As Boone's character explains to Nick: "They will run you dizzy. They will pile falsehood on top of falsehood until you can't tell a lie from the truth and you won't even want to." In one of the film's many offbeat highlights, Nick rides on horseback (against a luscious Maurice Jarre soundtrack) miles away from his father's mansion so that he can impotently scream, "You stink, Pa!" Kudos to Anchor Bay for releasing this wonderful satire (that spent all of five minutes in theaters on its initial release) on DVD in an extras-rich double-disc edition. Sporting a sharp, colorful image, the film is presented on the first disc, along with an exceptionally entertaining commentary track by writer/director Richert. Disc two leads off with the 38-minute retrospective documentary "Who Killed Winter Kills? (offering the bizarre story behind the making of the film--involving the producers of the Emmanuelle soft porn series, drug money, a mob execution, and a bankrupt production that forced the cast and crew to go make another movie in order to raise funds to complete the film), followed by the shorter featurettes "Reunion" (with Richert and Bridges), and "Star Stories" (with Richert riffing on his famous cast). In addition, the disc includes production stills, an art gallery, and a DVD-ROM accessible original screenplay. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—Nov. 5, 2019—Kino Lorber, 98 min., R, DVD: $19.99, Blu-ray: $29.99—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1979’s Winter Kills features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include audio commentary by writer-director William Richert, 'Who Killed Winter Kills?' cast and crew interviews (38 min.), a 'Reunion' interview with Richert and star Jeff Bridges (9 min.), 'Star Stories' with Richert (8 min.), and a brief radio spot. Bottom line: this cult classic conspiracy flick shines on Blu-ray.]