The Winner (1996 film)

The Winner is a 1996 film directed by Alex Cox and written by Wendy Riss based on her play A Darker Purpose.[1] Most noted for its quirky cast (Vincent D'Onofrio, Richard Edson, Michael Madsen, Billy Bob Thornton, and Frank Whaley) and art department, including production designer Cecilia Montiel.

The Winner
Directed byAlex Cox
Produced byKen Schwenker
Screenplay byWendy Riss
Based onplay "A Darker Purpose"
by Wendy Riss
Starring
Music byDaniel Licht
CinematographyDenis Maloney
Edited byCarlos Puente
Production
company
MDP Worldwide
Village Roadshow Pictures-Clipsal Films Partnership
Distributed byLive Entertainment (US)
Film Four Distributors (UK)
Release date
July 25, 1997
Running time
92 Minutes
CountryUnited States
Australia
LanguageEnglish

The film was substantially re-edited by its executive producers, Mark Damon and Rebecca De Mornay, and the original score – by Cox's longtime collaborators Pray for Rain – was replaced by a jazz score. Cox requested that his name be removed from the credits.

Plot

Phillip is a naive nobody with an uncanny knack for winning in a casino. Not much caring if he wins or loses, Phillip goes on a weeks-long hot streak in Las Vegas that ultimately comes to the attention of a lot of people who want his money.

Lusting after it most is Louise, a lounge singer and con artist who seduces Phillip in the Liberace museum, then lies to him that she is $150,000 in debt from medical and funeral expenses for her parents.

Her ex-husband Wolf wants a piece of the action as well. He just happens to be Phillip's brother, and is lugging around the corpse of their own dead father. Louise's current boyfriend Jack is another interested party, as is a loan shark, Kingman, and a mob hit man, Joey, who's perfectly willing to shoot innocent bystanders in the casino if it'll get him what he wants. Phillip seems helpless against them, but there may be more to him than meets the eye.

Cast

References

  1. "Movie Review - A Saint With a Midas Touch - NYTimes.com". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2018-01-18.


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