Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Winter Kills Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 29, 2019

William Richert's "Winter Kills" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; audio commentary by the director; vintage cast and crew interviews; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"The rifle is in the steam pipe under the middle window in the Engleson Building."

William Richert’s directorial debut, Winter Kills, is the ultimate proof that everyone has a price -- absolutely everyone. The buyer simply has to make the right offer, and after that it is game over. All that silly nonsense that routinely pops up in Hollywood films about standards and morals, and how some people can’t be bought, is just that, nonsense that only the hopelessly naïve would believe. In the real world there are two kinds of people, buyers and sellers, and the rest is just a game of numbers. So, why am I telling you this? Because it explains why Winter Kills exists, and why so many big-name actors popped up in it. The cold hard truth about this wild film is that no one that agreed to contribute to it did so because Richard Condon’s novel or Richert’s script were masterpieces -- they did it because they heard the right sales pitch. Part of it was money, and quite a lot of it, and the other part had something to do with vanity and prestige. Now, if you watch the old interviews with Richert and Jeff Bridges that the folks at Anchor Bay conducted some years ago when they released the film on DVD, you will likely get the impression that even in the very beginning, when the project was put together, its producers, Leonard J. Goldberg and Robert Sterling, weren’t throwing away cash. Well, let’s just say that this is the official story, which is more or less irrelevant. The real story is different because these ‘producers’ were both underground figures that were trying to become legit, so they were offering cash and a whole lot of other things to the people that they wanted to appear in their film. Elizabeth Taylor, John Huston, Anthony Perkins, Tomas Milian, Ralph Meeker, and Toshiro Mifune all heard something from these guys that made them commit to a film that would be made by a first-time director, and if you believe that Condon’s wild conspiracy story or Richert’s charisma were 'it' then you are probably very easy to convince that some of the best beaches in America are right smack in the middle of Utah.

The funny thing is -- and I actually do find the whole deal genuinely hilarious -- that years later a lot of the stars that got conned after the film was made attempted to reframe the humiliation they suffered as an ‘unusual’ experience. (By the way, this was another seller-buyer situation, where the stars made up an official story which they tried to sell to the public). But the reality was different. When the producers were able to pay only a couple of actors and the rest went home with a whole lot of 'unusual' memories, very few people felt good about their work. (The tech people did not get checks either). All the laughs and jokes that pop up in the old interviews where the production history of the film is discussed are nice, but they are part of the official story, not the real one.

Bridges plays Nick Kegan, the estranged younger brother of President Kegan, who nearly two decades ago was assassinated by an elusive killer. When a badly injured man is transported to the oil tanker where Nick works and then moments before he dies confesses that he was part of a team that took out President Kegan, he reluctantly runs back to his father (Huston), an aging, extremely cynical businessman, and asks for help to investigate the dead man’s story. Nick gets unlimited support from his father and his business empire, but the deeper he digs, the more confused he becomes by his findings. Then just like his late brother, Nick becomes a target.

The film is very wild, but not in a way that works in its favor. Some of its atmosphere is rather good and for a while manages to fool the viewer that there is a serious build-up underway that eventually will produce something rather special, but Bridges’ character quickly gets lost in a place that cannot possibly sustain itself. Needless to say, the popular notion that like Alice he is visiting a wonderland but with plenty of contemporary puppet masters pulling the strings of legions of puppets is quite silly.

Vilmos Zsigmond utilizes light in ways that provide the film with plenty of interesting contrasts that define some of its most dramatic sequences, but this isn’t enough to praise it.

Winter Kills Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and grated a 1080p transfer, Winter Kills arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

This release is sourced from the same new 4K master that the folks at Kino Lorber utilized to produce the recent North American release of the film. Obviously, my take on the new master remains the same. I think that the only area where some serious improvements can be made is shadow definition. Why? Because from time to time certain sequences reveal crushed blacks. However, I also must point out that some of the thicker darker spots are either intended or only a tad too prominent because Vilmos Zsigmond's lensing style often introduces unconventional contrasts that tend to exaggerate what is typically perceived as 'crushing''. A good example where the overall balance should be better can be seen in screencapture #3, where in select areas the blacks are clearly a tad too strong and collapsing native detail. The rest looks good. Depth and clarity are very pleasing, plus the overall fluidity of the visuals remains consistently strong. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Winter Kills Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless track is excellent. Obviously, the audio was redone when the new master was created, so any traces of age-related imperfections that might have existed on previous older audio files are now gone. I like how its native characteristics are retained a lot.

Winter Kills Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Reissue Version - this shorter was prepared for the 1983 reissue of the film. See screencapture #19 for addition information. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. LPCM 1.0. 1080p. (91 min).

• Who Killed 'Winter Kills'? - this archival featurette focuses on the production hisstory of Winter Kills. Included in it are clips from interviews with director Richard Condon, Jeff Bridges, cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, and production designer Robert Boyle, amongst others. The featurette was produced by Anchor Bay Entertainment and initially appeared on the label's DVD release of the film. In English, not subtitled. (38 min).

• Reunion: Interview with Star and Director - in this archival interview, Jeff Bridges and William Richert remember their collaboration on Winter Kills and share some very funny stories. The interview was conducted for Anchor Bay Entertainment and initially appeared on the label's DVD release of the film. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Star Stories - in this archival interview, William Richert shares more curious and/or funny stories about various actors that made Winter Kills with him. The interview was conducted for Anchor Bay Entertainment and initially appeared on the label's DVD release of the film. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Commentary - this new audio commentary was recorded by writer/director William Richert and features all kinds of very interesting reticulations and stories about the wild production history of Winter Kills, different casting choices that were made, the interactions between cast and crew members, etc. The commentary was recorded for Anchor Bay Entertainment and initially appeared on the label's DVD release of the film.

• Things Happening In Secret - in this new video program, critic Glenn Kenny discusses the presence of conspiracy theories in American cinema and Winter Kills. In English, not subtitled. (31 min).

• Radio Spot - a vintage radio spot for Winter Kills. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Trailer - a vintage trailer t for Winter Kills. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Trailer Commentary - presented here is a vintage episode of Trailers From Hell with screenwriter Josh Olson. . In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Image Gallery - a gallery with origin al promotional materials for the film.

• Booklet - limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with new essay by Anne Billson, archival accounts of the making of the film, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and more.

Winter Kills Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It does not take a genius to recognize the political parallels that are meant to make Winter Kills an intriguing film. However, the end product feels like something that Umberto Eco and Robert Ludlum would have put together after enjoying a big bottle of well-aged Macallan -- it is too wild and too incoherent, almost entirely unbelievable. And that's just half the trouble with this film because most of its stars are completely wasted in it. Indeed, excluding a couple of pretty darn funny sequences with John Huston the rest is instantly forgettable material. This upcoming release is sourced from the same 4K master that the folks at Kino Lorber worked with to produce their North American release of the film. It also has a couple of exclusive bonus features. However, I think that the best content comes from Anchor Bay Home Entertainment's DVD release of the film. RECOMMENDED.