Born to Win

source: Born to Win

George Segal plays Times Square junkie "J", a smack addict who is set up for a fall by his supplier, a slick street hustler named Vivian (Hector Elizondo). He lives to see another day, but is approached by two narcotics cops to put the frame on Vivian or do serious time. Czech director Ivan Passer's first American film was a personal project for Segal, whose fledgling production company put the deal together (it was originally a very-off Off-Broadway play entitled "Scraping Bottom" by David Scott Milton, who shares the screenplay credit with Passer). While the character of "J" is certainly a change of pace for the star, Segal still looks like a fuzzy, hurt-eyed hamster out to tug at our heartstrings. One gets the impression Segal was willing to go all the way with this material, but that maybe someone talked him into softening this low-life portrait; he's too clear in his thinking, in his decision-making and in his dealings with the cops to make a truly convincing junkie. There's talent all around Segal, including Paula Prentiss as another addict, Karen Black as Segal's square girlfriend, Robert DeNiro as a narc and Burt Young as a hood, but it's really Elizondo's picture. Even though Passer filmed on the gritty streets of New York City, it is Elizondo who provides the movie with its dash of dangerously cool authenticity. ** from ****

I've seen Karen Black in several roles where I didn't care for the character she portrayed. The thoroughly dependent and constantly whining waitress she played in Five Easy Pieces was a good example. You could understand why Jack Nicholson had trouble committing to a serious relationship with her. In Born to Win, however, she is easily the most likable personality in the film. How many women would start an affair with a man who was attempting to steal her car? Her beauty, her sense of humor, and her spirit shine through immediately and continue throughout. George Segal's unrepentant junkie character, who lost his wife to a sleazy, backstabbing, pimping drug dealer, somehow manages to charm us more than most of the other actors, including the police, who think nothing of planting evidence on anyone they feel like at the moment. There is something hip about this movie, not because it glorifies heroin addiction, which it certainly does not, but because it seems to show a slice of New York life in a fairly realistic manner. The death of JJ's best friend, Billy, from "a hot shot" that was meant for JJ, the armed "take offs" that the dopers pull on one another simply because they really need a fix or are having a bad day (with no offense otherwise intended), the way the corrupt cops are portrayed, the shots of the city, too often grimy yet somehow alluring -- this is interesting cinema. I think I bought this DVD for a buck and have watched it a number of times. It's a good movie.

This is one I had never heard of, but it is very interesting. The filmmaking style is definitely that of the late 60s' and 70s'. It has an ending one should have known was to going to happen but it is no less jarring to the heart. While you are watching this film of a loser, you are on his side hoping that he will make it. As you laugh at the silly predictable situations our hero gets into, you are still assuming he will make it. Does he make it? See the film. The sound on the DVD I watched was hard to follow at some points but the film is worth the effort. The script is very creative although not entirely successful. There are moments where you can not really believe this could happen but it does. The acting by George Segal and Karen Black are excellent. By the way, drugs were even bad way back in the 70s'.

I would have to say this fine piece of drug-oriented cinema is the reason we have film festivals. Simply amazing. I am surprised Vincent Gallo has not stumbled across the idea of remaking "Born To Win", it would be his third film, furthermore third film in which the title begins with the letter "B". This is a classic picture. An ex-hairdresser gone junkie, walking the streets, doing petty jobs for just one more fix, a man who truly knows the blues, a man who has lost everything, and pulls it off with such style and grace. If Vincent Gallo doesn't do something, then there is a glitch in the system. This film is the reason I started taking movies seriously.. it is the reason I dropped out of school and wanted to be a drug-dealer when I grew up.

This is one of those movies where there isn't much to pull for. Like Taxi Driver, it takes place in a cesspool. Those who are trapped in their lives have no place to go. The die is cast and that's it. George Segal does an excellent performance as a small time addict who is powerless to overcome what he has become. He hooks up with Karen Black, who accepts him for what he is. She is the one bright spot in his existence. But the power of the drug world has its tentacles in him and no matter how happy he may feel, he can't move from the addiction. The first part of the movie shows his day to day existence. He seems like a good man. He has a kindness in him that comes through on his face. When confronted, he becomes really passive and powerless. The big boys don't see him as a player. There are also a couple of cops who want to use him, one of them being a young DeNiro. His relationship with Black is doomed (by the way, she comes across as a pretty interesting character) because when it is a contest between the drugs and her, she is going to come in a distant second, even thought intellectually, it sounds pretty sad. Good acting but don't expect an uplifting event. George Segal was really a hot actor at this time, even in a minor picture like this shows his talents.

This comes off as if it could have been made to screen to American teens at schools in the 70's to show them that DRUGS ARE BAD- they turn people against each other, friends die, and it's all just awful. There's a great cast- Segal, Prentiss, and Black are all excellent- and Robert De Niro is young and clean cut in a supporting role. I guess George Segal wanted to show that he could play gritty after getting typecast as a light comedian- and he is terrific- but there's a completely flat non-ending ending, and it's all pretty depressing. I question the casting of charmers like Paula Prentiss and Karen Black- who both look fab- as the point of the film seems to be to deglamourise this lifestyle. Nice jazzy funky soundtrack fer sure, and George gets his kit off, but I can't in all honesty recommend this movie, unless you're very fond of seeing a lot of grungy types in 70's fashion disasters doing each other down and jive-assing about.

Poor JJ, every time he scores some junk or pulls a job he gets screwed over. It's not easy being a junkie, but it CAN be funny!! This movie is listed as a drama but it flows like a well made comedy. If you can overlook the so-so editing, lighting, and cinematography you will be able to relax and enjoy an extremely well acted film. The dialogue is superb. George Segal is in top form as JJ, a Heroin addict on the streets of NYC in 1971. Robert De Niro has a supporting role as an undercover vice cop. I haven't looked it up yet but I assume that this is one of De Niro's first films as his name doesn't appear in the credits until about the halfway point. De Niro does the best he can with the small role he's given but keep in mind that this isn't a De Niro film. The real joy in this movie is George Segal's performance as JJ. He plays an excellent dope-fiend. Both JJ and Billy Dynamite (Jay Fletcher) are in love with the needle. Billy Dynamite put it best: "It's like we have a purpose in life. Every morning we wake up and know EXACTLY what we're gonna do... hustle up another bag!!!... "I wouldn't trade this life for nothing man... Nothing!!" It's almost as if he genuinely loves being an an addict. JJ (Segal) has been up to no good and is afraid someone might try to pass him a hotshot. A "hotshot" is a shot of heroin that the dealer has cut with strychnine or battery acid. The sole purpose of giving someone a hotshot is kill them, and JJ has a couple of dealers that would like to see him dead. Does JJ get the hotshot... or not??? I won't tell. Check it out and see for yourself! ******** (8 out of 10 stars)

While low budget filmmakers in California were making films like "Psych-out" and "The Trip" with Fonda and Nicholson and Hopper it was different in New York. Low budget filmmakers on the east coast took a more tougher look at drugs and it usually took place on the streets of New York. This film is about a drug addict named J (George Segal) who has the tattoo "Born to Win" on his arm and he's always doing favors for a local dealer named Vivian (Hector Elizondo) who is becoming annoyed by J. One day J meets Parm (Karen Black) who is a free spirited girl and they both become attracted to each other right away. J is becoming more desperate and he even resorts to robbing some of the people he does favors for. Two dirty cops (Robert Deniro and Ed Madsen) tell J that they want to bust Vivian and they want him to help. They won't bust J because they want to keep him on the streets but they do make his life even worse than it is. This film was directed by Ivan Passer who is a competent director but has only had a mediocre career making movies. But he does a good job here and all the characters are portrayed as lowlifes. Even Paula Prentiss is a drug addict in this film and it's a strange bit of casting to have her in such a role. Good use of New York locations as it was shot right in the middle of downtown and it gives this film that authentic street look. One of the reasons that this is interesting to view is spotting the actors in early roles. Segal had already broke through with an Oscar nomination in 1966 and he obviously was trying new ground as an actor and Black was fresh off an Oscar nomination herself. Early look at Deniro and Elizondo and Burt Young pops up as a thug about midway through. This has that sad and ambiguous ending but that adds to the impact of this tough and gritty little film. All the performances are pretty good and I would have been interested in seeing Prentiss in a larger role. This doesn't get discussed much when people talk of the New York films of the 1970's but it is a well made low budget entry that others should view.

There ain't much to say about this obscure flick. Flat direction, stiff camerawork, horrendous lighting, effortless editing, outdated soundtrack and been-there-done-that script. George Segal delivers a fine performance, and it was interesting seeing him in a purely dramatic role after getting used to seeing him on "Just Shoot Me." He basically carries the film, but even he can't save it entirely. And for anybody who finds the DeNiro boxed set with this movie and "Sam's Song,"--buyer beware!! You'll probably get the set for a cheap price, but when I see two videos with the name "DeNiro" plastered across the front of the box, along with a picture of his face, I wanna see two DeNiro movies. DeNiro has a very small role in "Born to Win" as a cop. It is perhaps his worst role up-to-date--and it's kind of ironic, being that I just saw "City By the Sea" and regarded that as one of his best roles up-to-date. So for all you die-hard DeNiro fans--like me--don't get sucked in. Karen Black also delivers a fine performance. Even Hector Elizondo gives a fine early performance. So basically I have to give it up for the cast for giving their all, despite a sub-par script. Like most micro-budget flicks of the 60's and 70's, the resolution is unbelievably grainy and it feels more like a home movie than a motion picture. Even independent films of recent years (including Kevin Smith's "Clerks" which was made on a very, very low budget) have at least a slightly cinematic quality to them. I wouldn't be surprised if I find "Born to Win" playing on the Late Night Movie around 3 in the morning. It has its moments, like Segal running around New York City in a pink dress (hilarious!!), but not enough to make it even an OK movie. My score: 4 (out of 10)