This is How Movies Should Be Made

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Okay, Now it makes some sort of Sense. After Seeing this Movie with a Cast of Quirky Stars and Cult Director Alex Cox, You might Scratch Your Head Raw Wondering, What the? But the Back(stabbing) Story is that the Director was Ambushed by the Producers. It Seems that They took the Finished Film, Re Edited, Added a Different Soundtrack and Released this Bomb to Non-Existent Audiences, Furious Critics, and Disappointment Everywhere. So Alex Cox Disowned the Film and Tried to have His Named Removed.Is the Abomination that was Released Worth a Watch? The Shortest Answer is...NO. That's a No with a Shout. Because it is Embarrassing. Nothing Seems to Work. The Usual Reliable Cast of Usually Interesting Actors All are Either Miscast or Appear to be Lost in this Muddle and Don't Know the Ending or Their Next Lines.The Few Standout Visuals are So Few that the Drudgery of Sitting Through the Odd Pacing and Unfunny Stuff is Not Worth the Effort. Like the Director, it is Best to not Acknowledge this Films Existence for the Sake of Everyone Involved.

Alex Cox will always be remembered for the astonishing one-two punch of 'Repo Man' and 'Sid and Nancy', yet his finest achievement was the daring, career-destroying 'Walker'. As if being exiled from the studio system wasn't enough, Cox then made the diabolically awful 'Straight To Hell' to seemingly bury any credibility he may have had left. 'The Winner' represents yet another oddity from Cox's years in the indie wilderness, but perhaps has the highest curio factor due to its eyebrow-raising ensemble cast. Yet what makes 'The Winner', ultimately, a loser, is in all fairness not attributed to Cox but rather its unimpressive, derivative, post-Tarantino screenplay (allegedly adapted from a play, presumably off-off-off-off Broadway). Cox and the cast struggle with its uneven tone and, despite Frank Whaley scoring in a hilariously slimy role, the unfunny nature of the script is barely able to justify the film's incessant stylistic zaniness. While it does work in small doses (an effective opening and a memorably odd ending), it simply isn't enjoyable enough to even warrant minor cult status. That said, it is at least a slight cut above the other interminable 'Pulp Fiction' clones that plagued the mid-to-late nineties. But what sort of endorsement is that?

Thought quite possibly this film would be entertaining due to the fact that it was dealing with Las Vegas. After viewing a few scenes, I was completely disappointed in the story. However, the poor actors all did a great job despite their horrible scrips and story line. Rebecca DeMornay,(Louise) played a gal who has been around the block quite a few times and decides to get her eyes and claws into a certain guy who bets only on Sunday's at a casino and always wins. As soon as the guy wins large amounts of money, like $150,000. he gives all the money away and keeps about Five Thousand dollars so he can play next Sunday. Saverio Guerra,"Becker" TV Series '98-03(as Bob) makes a few brief appearances and acts just the same way he did in Becker. This is a big waste of time and not worth waisting your time.

I love this movie!! I'd love to see a copy of the script... the dialogue is amazing. Billy Bob Thornton is hilarious in a toupee. Vincent D'Onofrio is compelling as always. Every so often a movie falls between the cracks when it could have been a huge hit and I think this little gem directed by Alex Cox is one of them.