Born to Win(1970)

Synopsis

A smart-mouthed junkie/loser known as J.J. (George Segal) spends his days looking for just “one more fix”. |Born to Win is the grimly ironic title of this jet-black comedy about heroin addicts. George Segal plays Jay Jay, an ex-hairdresser who struggles to support his expensive drug habit. To avoid arrest, Jay Jay turns “narc,” informing on his fellow junkies. Eventually Jay Jay’s sense of self-hatred threatens to overwhelm him. Also released as Born to Lose and Addict, Born to Win was the first…

Director

Ivan Passer

Cast

George Segal, George Segal, Karen Black, Paula Prentiss, Jay Fletcher, Hector Elizondo

Misc. Info

Genre: Drama – Crime – Comedy

Runtime: 88 minutes

Gangster Story(1958)

Synopsis

Gangster and cop killer Jack Martin is on the run from the law, and hides out in a small town. Low on funds, he engineers a clever bank robbery that yields him a big bundle. Now he has not only the cops and the FBI after him, but also the local crime boss, who’s outraged that an outsider can pull off a heist like that in his territory and not cut him in on it.

Director

Walter Matthau

Cast

Walter Matthau – Carol Grace – Bruce MacFarlane – Garry Walberg – Raikin Ben-Ari – David Leonard – John Albright

Misc. Info

Genre: Drama – Crime

Runtime: 65 minutes

Cry of the Innocent(1979)

Synopsis

A Green Beret-veteran businessman investigates the plane crash in Ireland that killed his family. Filmed in Ireland, Cry of the Innocent stars Rod Taylor as an American insurance executive on a grim mission. A private plane has exploded, killing Taylor’s wife and children. Also on board was a scientist who was the target of the criminals who engineered the tragedy. The “maguffin” is a secret formula worth untold millions, and Joan a journalist is aiding Taylor in bringing the murderers to justice…

Director

Michael O’Herlihy

Cast

Philip Bollard – Joe Cahill – Des Cave – Cyril Cusack – Nigel Davenport – John Franklyn

Misc. Info

Genre: Drama – Crime – Thriller – Action – Mystery

Runtime: 93 minutes

Death Game(1976)

Synopsis

Allegedly based on a real incident, this crime drama begins in San Francisco with a middle-aged man answering the doorbell. He is alone, as his wife and kids are away for the weekend. There he finds two attractive young women who ask to use his phone. Once they get into the house, they do in fact use the phone, but they also make a running commentary on his house and its furnishings, an action which seems a tad inappropriate. The two slightly odd women seduce him and stay the night…

Director

Peter S. Traynor

Cast

Sondra Locke – Colleen Camp – Seymour Cassel – Beth Brickell – Michael Kalmansohn – Ruth Warshawsky

Misc. Info

Genre: Drama – Thriller – Crime

Runtime: 91 minutes