Revisiting the bizarre Jeff Bridges and John Huston thriller ‘Winter Kills’
Jeff Bridges is primarily remembered for his career-defining role as The Dude in the Coen Brothers’ 1998 caper The Big Lewbowski, which confirmed him as one of the all-time greats after such a long career. As for the late John Huston, he is revered for his work as an actor and director, helming titles such as The Maltese Falcon, and delivering timeless performances such as that of the cruel Noah Cross in Chinatown. Both are greats of cinema, so when they crossed paths on screen as the lead roles in the 1979 political thriller satire Winter Kills, it was a match made in heaven.
A bizarre cult film, it was a box office bomb when released; however, in an age-old tale, it was too forward-thinking for its time and has aged like a fine wine, with the fresh-faced Bridges and elderly Huston’s chemistry highly underrated. Both are capable of drawing on natural dramatic nouse and still operate as gifted comedians, with panache coursing through theirs and the rest of the cast’s performances. Their efforts here are so strong that they augmented the challenging themes of the script, making them profound, despite the film entering the realm of the farce at points.
Winter Kills was written and directed by William Richert and is based on Richard Condon’s 1974 novel of the same name. This famed political satirist wrote iconic titles such as The Manchurian Candidate and An Infinity of Mirrors, meaning that even before the movie has started if you’re not familiar with the book, there’s a guarantee of excellence. The tale is brimming with many unexpected twists and turns, as well as many different threads that all weave together towards the end, as any thriller of quality should do.
It follows the Bridges’ character Nick Kegan, the half-brother of Tim Kegan, the President of the United States, who was shot and killed by a sniper during a visit to Philadelphia nineteen years prior. His father, Pa Keegan, is played by Huston, and as Nick attempts to uncover the mystery of his brother’s death and the many related deaths that ensued, his relationship with his father is brought into question, as is that of the patriarch’s motives.
Despite the film being surreal and hilarious at many points, with the fight scene on the balcony when Nick fights off an assassin dressed as a maid one of the best reflections of this, it was actually inspired by the assassination conspiracy surrounding the murder of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. This means that the lines between fact and fiction are often blurred, and that even after 59 long years after that fateful day in Dallas, Texas that it is thought-provoking, making you want to go and watch Oliver Stone’s JFK straight after.
Making us seriously consider the role of big business in American politics, the inner workings of political dynasties like the Kennedy’s, and other factors such as the proliferation of technology, Winter Kills is a film that keeps us on our toes right until the dying embers. In short, it leaves a similar imprint as that of Alan J. Pakula’s scarily believable fiction The Parallax View.
Whilst the story and the performances of Bridges and Huston are stellar, so is the supporting cast, which features a host of iconic Hollywood names. Anthony Perkins plays the mystifying John Cerruti as a departure from his role as the definitive cinematic psychopath in Psycho, Eli Wallach as the gangster Joe Diamond, and Sterling Hayden as Z.K. Dawson, Pa Kegan’s political rival. Other legends that lend their brilliance to the flick are Dorothy Malone, Tomas Milian, Belinda Bauer, Toshiro Mifune, Ralph Meeker and Richard Boone.
In short, Winter Kills is a strange case in the sense that it is one of the most surreal yet pertinent films you’re likely to see, treading the line between comedy and drama perfectly. Totally ahead of its time, with major thanks to Condon’s original story, there are a host of memorable performances and scenes that give it a rewatchable essence, that many films of its age and genre do not have.
