The Winner (1996)

Directed by: Alex Cox | 92 minutes | comedy, crime | Actors: Michael Madsen, Luis Contreras, Billy Bob Thornton, Ed Pansullo, Frank Whaley, Delroy Lindo, Vincent D’Onofrio, Rebecca De Mornay, Richard Edson, Saverio Guerra, Ed Pansullo, Sy Richardson, Craig Vincent, Biff Yeager, Del Zamora , Roger Jennings, Alex Cox

If there was such a thing as community work for actors, a movie like ‘The Winner’ would be a good example. In this provision of work for tired actors, the sluggishness is exuding. The only employee who still has the slightest sense of it is Rebecca De Mornay.

‘The Winner’ centers on Philip (D’Onofrio), a wimpy loser who inexplicably always succeeds in the casinos. Soon Philip’s gift is noticed by a nefarious gang of criminals and the slutty nightclub singer Louise (De Mornay). The singer hopes to win over the gullible winner and steal some money from him. Meanwhile, Philip’s brother (Madsen) also appears on the scene. Brother love is an ice cold killer. Every party is after Philips gift. A cat-and-mouse game is always fun, provided it’s done right. Unfortunately that is not the case with ‘The Winner’. What Cox had in mind with this work remains a mystery. The film lacks direction. Cox throws some plot lines about angry gangster bosses, criminal brothers and true love without doing anything with it. There is no threat in ‘The Winner’ and the film also falls short in terms of joke density.

The structure of this production is also quite strange. What starts as a farce, turns from a weak crime thriller into a dramatic love story with a fatal outcome. The structure of ‘The Winner’ is a mixed bag of poorly developed ideas and characters. It seems like half the cast thought they were in a completely different movie than the rest. A good example is the role of De Mornay. The actress energetically portrays a manipulative, chain-smoking slut with delusions of grandeur. Louise is a caricature character. Frank Whaley is also on a roll as the flamboyant mobster Joey. The fact that you’re looking at two types is obvious.

The rest of the cast plays more realistic roles. Billy Bob Thornton acts very modest for his own sake and Delroy Lindo also holds back. D’Onofrio’s game is somewhere between acting and overacting. The design of the characters clashes. While DeMornay and Whaley give you the idea of ​​watching a comedy, Lindo and Thornton seem to be in a more serious movie. Acting from the autocue, Michael Madsen only seems to revive when his character is allowed to talk about making money. The balance is lost in ‘The Winner’.

Nevertheless, the film is still quite nice to watch in a lost moment. DeMornay is really sublime in her role and Whaley is also a lot to laugh. There’s momentum in the film and spotting all the celebs in bit parts is pretty nice. For the special effects or action, don’t watch this cheap pulp. Despite the star cast ‘The Winner’ only knows losers. Except for Michael Madsen. The former Reservoir Dog has done it again: for the ttieth time he plays the same role in the ttieth B-movie. And while ‘The Winner’ was a big flop, the offers for Mr. Madsen pour in. Among Hollywood’s municipal workers, Madsen is the hoe. Although he earns his money hanging on his spade, he continues to be contracted for new jobs. Still a winner.