The Winner (1996)

Synopsis: B-movie actors make forgettable, low-budget, Vegas-themed Tarrantino knock-off.

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: "Philip, known to many as the 'luckiest man in the history of North America,' raises the stakes in a town where the odds are already high - Las Vegas."

What Did I Learn?: If you’re ever on a winning streak at a casino, you might want to cast a gimlet eye on those nice strangers who really wish to befriend you.

 

 

You Might Like This Movie If: You know it isn't easy to be...*ahem*...Lucky.

Really?: 1) Um, why is Billy Bob Thornton made up to look like Burt Reynolds? 2) I’m pretty sure visitors aren’t allowed to have sex at the Liberace museum. 3) So wait...Louise (De Mornay) finds a human hand in her fishtank, and it just happens to belong to Philip’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) unseen Dad? And then his brother Wolf (Michael Madsen) shows up on Philip’s doorstep with their Dad’s corpse, and the audience discovers Wolf and Louise had a fling several years earlier? Give me a fucking break...

Rating: While The Winner boasts an impressive cast (I was sort-of kidding when I wrote the "Synposis"), it’s an atrocious movie. The plot is highly contrived and makes no sense, a number of scenes – especially those featuring Thornton and Delroy Lindo - are pointless, the dialogue is terrible, and the characters are nearly all completely unlikeable. Rebecca De Mornay is fun to watch, but  I cannot recommend this movie. 2/10 stars.

Would It Work For a Bad Movie Night?: Nope.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118174/