Directed by William Richert • 1979 • United States, West Germany
Starring Jeff Bridges, John Huston, Anthony Perkins
Among the myriad conspiracy thrillers that proliferated in the 1970s, WINTER KILLS stands out for its audacious, tonally bonkers blending of paranoia and black-comic satire as well as for its eye-popping all-star cast—all of which has elevated it to cult status decades after it was barely released and nearly forgotten. Jeff Bridges stars as Nick Kegan, the younger brother of a former U.S. president who was assassinated nineteen years earlier. When Kegan uncovers new evidence about his brother’s murder, he is drawn into the heart of a labyrinthine plot that grows crazier and more disturbing with each new revelation. The almost unbelievable cast includes John Huston, Anthony Perkins, Eli Wallach, Toshiro Mifune, Sterling Hayden, Dorothy Malone, and even Elizabeth Taylor in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo.
Up Next in ’70s Thrillers
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All the President’s Men
Directed by Alan J. Pakula • 1976 • United States
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jack WardenAt once a taut, deeply engrossing political thriller and one of the most fascinating films ever made about the inner workings of the press, the final installment in director Alan J. Pakula’s Pa...
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The Long Goodbye
Directed by Robert Altman • 1973 • United States
Starring Elliott Gould, Nina van Pallandt, Sterling HaydenRobert Altman updates Raymond Chandler for the liberated, hedonistic 1970s in this brilliantly idiosyncratic adaptation of one of the writer’s most renowned novels. Elliott Gould brings a ...
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Klute
Directed by Alan J. Pakula • 1971 • United States
Starring Jane Fonda, Donald SutherlandWith her Oscar-winning turn in KLUTE, Jane Fonda reinvented herself as a new kind of movie star. Bringing nervy audacity and counterculture style to the role of Bree Daniels—a call girl and aspiring actor wh...
