The Winner
Set in Las Vegas this black comedy is offbeat even for the genre. Add to it the fine performance by Vincent D'Onofrio who plays Philip, the gambler who cannot lose. Coming off two successful roles, as a writer in THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD and as the Frankenstein- like monster in MEN IN BLACK, D'Onofrio is a delight to watch at work.
Philip, gambler extraordinaire who attracts those who like to be with a sure winner, finds himself the cynosure of everyone. Women flock to him but casinos are not happy with the character with the Midas touch. Con men and mobsters also have their eye on him. However, Philip is as much in the dark as others about why he wins but he wants run his good luck to wherever it leads.
Out of the woodwork come all sorts of people who want to have Philip's good luck somehow benefit them or swindle him if that is how it must be done. There is Louise (Rebecca DeMornay), the story's love interest, who starts off as a villain but by film's end has found out something about herself that changes her way of life. For that matter, almost everyone in the film experiences changes.
Pretty straightforward for most of the film, it suddenly takes a surrealist turn when Joey (Frank Waley) enters the casino with blazing gun looking for Philip.
The movie is based on the stage play, A DARKER PURPOSE, by Wendy Riss who also wrote the screen version. It is in part the story of Las Vegas, where everyone arrives with great expectations but whose dreams are almost always dashed to pieces.
Ably assisting the film are cast members Richard Edson, Saverio Guerra. Delroy Lindo. Michael Madsen and SLING BLADE's own Billy Bob Thornton.
Directed by Alex Cox
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Copyright 1997 Ben Hoffman
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