Michael Wincott Movies
Michael Wincott's filmography contains a veritable rogues' gallery of brooding villains and charismatic scalawags. Interestingly, he consistently wins high marks for his performances but remains largely unknown outside of a growing circle of devoted fans.
He was born in London, Ontario, and trained at the prestigious Juilliard School. He launched his professional career on the New York Stage, appearing in such productions as The Plough and the Stars, When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder, and 'Tis a Pity She's a Whore. He also appeared in a few Broadway dramas, including
Sam Shepard's premiere production of States of Shock. He made his feature film debut in a Canadian production,
Wild Horse Hank (1979). Some of his more memorable roles include his reprisal of his Broadway performance as a zoned-out rocker in
Oliver Stone's film adaptation of
Eric Bogosian's Talk Radio (1988). In villainous roles, Wincott projects a charismatic intensity that eclipses the actor behind the them, which is perhaps one reason why major stardom has eluded him. He was riveting as Top Dollar, the supervillain in
The Crow (1994). Wincott's brother,
Jeff Wincott, is also an actor. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

- 1988
- R
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Monologist Eric Bogosian's one-man theater piece Talk Radio, co-written by Bogosian and Tad Savinar, is searingly brought to the screen by Oliver Stone. Bogosian plays provocateur radio talk-show host Barry Champlain, whose constant espousal of his inflammatory views and ceaseless hectoring of his callers and listeners reaps equal parts love and hate. As his program rolls on, Champlain is revealed to be just as screwed up as any of his fans, if not more. And then he pushes one caller just a bit too far. In co-adapting the play for the screen, Stone interweaves elements of Stephen Singular's factual book Talked to Death, the story of a liberal Denver radio personality who was murdered at the behest of a militant right-wing hate group. One word of warning: if you're not a fan of the sort of radio depicted herein, chances are you won't warm up to this film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Eric Bogosian, Alec Baldwin, (more)

- 1987
- R
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Adapted from Mario Puzo's novel, The Sicilian is an attempt to chronicle the life and times of Mafia leader, patriot and real-life Robin Hood Salvatore Giuliano, the infamous bandit who, together with his rag-tag band of guerillas, attempted to liberate 1940s Sicily from Italian rule and make it an American state. Giuliano (Christopher Lambert) robs from the rich conservative landowners to give to the poor, serf-like peasants, who in turn hail him as their savior. As his popularity grows, so does his ego, and he eventually thinks he is above the power of his backer, Mafia Don Masino Croce (Joss Ackland). The Don, in turn, sets out to kill the upstart by convincing his cousin and closest advisor Gaspare (John Turturro) to assassinate him. Nearly thirty minutes of screen time were haphazardly hacked off director Michael Cimino's original cut by the studio. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Christopher Lambert, Terence Stamp, (more)

- 1983
- R
This derivative Canadian thriller plays like a distaff version of Samuel Fuller's cult classic Shock Corridor fused rather crudely to a standard mad-slasher plot. The story takes place primarily at the country villa of a sleazy horror film director (scenery-chomping John Vernon), where auditions for the title role of his new film Audra are taking place. The casting session is called after the film's intended star had herself committed to an asylum in order to properly research her Frances Farmer-type role, then found herself unable to get out. It comes as little surprise, then, that the six actresses vying for the plum role in her absence are not long for this world, as a witch-masked marauder is wandering the premises with some well-honed implements. This film's surprisingly stylish look is probably due to the initial direction of acclaimed cinematographer Richard Ciupka, but the film was actually completed by a pseudonymous replacement. (The credited director, "Jonathan Stryker," is actually the name of Vernon's character.) ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
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- Starring:
- John Vernon, Samantha Eggar, (more)

- 1981
- PG
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The "Moonie" cult of the 1970s and '80s has been cited as the principal inspiration for the 1981 Canadian production Ticket to Heaven. Nick Mancuso plays impressionable youth David Kappel, who, after breaking up with his girlfriend, tries to find an emotional balm by joining a religious sect. The first portion of the film details David's indoctrination into the group. The remaining portion concerns the efforts made by his parents to locate their thoroughly brainwashed son. R.H. Thomson dominates the final scenes as a "deprogrammer" hired to shake David out of his religious euphoria. Ticket to Heaven was based on Moonwebs, a novel by Josh Freed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Nick Mancuso, R.H. Thomson, (more)

- 1980
- PG
Director Jules Dassin, once shunned by Hollywood for being accused of "un-American activities," had already worked for nearly thirty years in Europe before making this Canadian drama about an elderly painter and a sixteen-year-old teen. Richard Burton delivers as a convincingly up-tight artist abandoned by his muse for the last ten years. After he meets Sarah (Tatum O'Neal on the wan from her 1973 Oscar as "Best Supporting Actress"), the muse begins to stir once more. The two disparate souls meet at a soft-core film (Sarah's friends dared her into seeing the flic), and an uneasy, non-sexual relationship starts. But even though the artist discovers that his muse is not totally defunct, that is a difficult trade-off for dealing with Sarah's romantic inclinations. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Richard Burton, Tatum O'Neal, (more)

- 1979
-
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Made up to look like a septuagenarian, Henry Winkler plays Benedict Slade, a Scrooge-like miser living in a tiny New England town during the Depression. Slade goes Scrooge one further by repossessing items from a poor farm couple and an orphanage on Christmas eve. While reading a copy of Dickens' The Christmas Carol in his home, Slade is visited by his own set of Spirits Past, Present and Future, including his Hell-dwelling late business partner (Kenneth Pogue). Lensed in Canada, this made-for-TV film premiered the week before Christmas of 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1979
-
Based on Mel Ellis' novel, The Wild Horse Killers, this Canadian film follows the quest of young Hank Bradford (Linda Blair) as she struggles to save a herd of wild horses that are scheduled to be killed. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Linda Blair, Michael Wincott, (more)