User Reviews

Kurt Russell and Kelly McGillis give believable performances in this rural drama. Tremendous North Carolina atmosphere and a fine score add immensely to the film. Some may find it a bit slow, but those willing to watch and listen, will be rewarded. "Winter People" does not follow any typical feuding families formula, but carves new ground, with sacrifice instead of shoot outs. Anyone expecting a "Deliverance" clone would be advised to seek out "Hunter's Blood" and leave "Winter People" to those who appreciate a quieter, more thought provoking movie. Definitely recommended for couples viewing as there is enough depth to maintain interest for everyone. - MERK

Widowed clockmaker Kurt Russell brings his daughter, Amelia Burnette, to the Carolina Piedmont. There he falls in love with single mother Kelly McGillis. However, when the baby's drunken father comes calling, the pair of them are forced into desperate action.

The movie is replete with carefully offered symbolism, almost certainly from the novel by John Ehle), mostly about the wintry stasis of people and society during the early stages of the Roosevelt New Deal, to characters' names (I'm reading Scott's KENILWORTH, so Russell's character's name of "Wayland" seems apt), to the way cinematographer Francois Protat lights the shots in a greyness that doesn't break until the end. Ordinarily I would find this sort of movie pompous with its easy-to-analyze details substituting for the things that interest me most: character and story.

This one never does, thanks to a fine cast under a solid director. Ted Kotcheff may be best know for his gross comedy hit WEEKEND WITH BERNIE, but his long resume shows a respectful handling of movies about subcultures: not only THE APPRENTICESHIP OF DUDDY KRAVITZ, but NORTH DALLAS FORTY.

One of dozens of movies saved the past couple of years for viewing, that I remembered hearing years ago were good - but never had the chance to watch.

Some are fine. Some are not.

This one is better than expected.

Always loved Kelly McGillis, and Kurt Russell is excellent in this film. Initially it looks like we're going to be stuck viewing Hatfields and McCoys type nonsense, but among the feuds and fights, difficult events lead to compromise and a satisfactory ending.

A couple of hunting scenes, and injured or killed animals, but nothing too graphic. It is depression era mountain life.

Worth seeing through to the end.

This is a film that took me by surprise. Impressive in its delicate sensiblity of the human emotions. This is best illustrated at Kurt Russell's outburst when one of his clocks is destroyed. Well directed and well acted. One of Russell's best acting performances. Not an action film, or anything to really rock you in your seat but a powerful human story. A+

After 1:07, to be exact, and all that time, the story was weak, the lines were unrealistic, accents poor, characters unestablished buy two great actors, at that, finding it very hard to make some good out of what they had to work with, misc. were bad, it finally started getting interesting. Not a complete waste of time, but I almost killed it at 25 minutes, then started skipping till it got half way descent. I would not recommend this movie for 2 hrs of your life, unless it's all you got to watch up in a cabin; Snowed in. It's been done before. Same story at least a dozon times. I see a lot of people wrote good things about it, so don't take my opinion too seriously. It might have something I missed, that made it good. I just couldn't take anymore of the what the first 25 min. had to offer.

While I won't go to the hyperbole of this being the best film ever, it is certainly one of the more satisfying. The fact that you can tell a compelling human story without overwhelming the audience with action (and I like action flicks as well as anyone) is noteworthy. It is not your typical story - it's got real conflict, real relationships (both good and bad), and a sense of authenticity that is lacking in many films. The setting is not one that is common, although it would be contemporary with 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. It sheds some light on a part of the country that is not familiar to most of us. It reflects some thought in fleshing out real characters, instead of relying on portraying stereotypical backwoods people. While many of the actors have gone on to other roles, the movie retains the allure of watching real people. It should be considered a high mark in the careers of both Kurt Russell and Kelly McGillis. It is one of those rare movies that I appreciate watching each time.

It's the 30's. Clockmaker Wayland Jackson (Kurt Russell) and his daughter Paula leave their home and her late mother's grave behind. He's driving his truck in the mountains when it breaks down in a stream. He finds Collie Wright (Kelly McGillis) and her son living in a remote cabin. The local community is run by her father William Wright (Lloyd Bridges) and the extended family. The mountain folks Campbells led by Drury (Mitchell Ryan) trash Wayland's truck. Cole Campbell is the father of Collie's son.

I don't know anything about the book. This seems to be Hollywood trying to be truthful with a local society without the capabilities. I don't buy Russell as a tinkerer. The character may be better as a bookish nerd so that he can differentiate himself from the macho locals. Russell is not weak enough as a personality. Don Michael Paul is trying too hard as Young and his hair is way too pretty. More than anything, there isn't enough chemistry between Russell and McGillis. She had way more chemistry with the midget Tom Cruise. Non of these people are that appealing and thereby not that compelling. It's an epic melodrama but I'm not feeling it.

Deceptively marketed as a "Deliverance" retread, it has, in fact, more in common with Peter Weir's "Witness" and Richard Pearce's "Heartland". Kurt Russell plays Wayland Jackson, a humble widower who begins a new life with his daughter in North Carolina. When he meets and falls in love with Collie Wright (Kelly McGilis), he must prove his mettle to her father (Lloyd Bridges) and deal with local animosity towards him.

Director Ted Kotcheff, who also made "First Blood", "Uncommon Valor" and the brilliant "Split Image", a scathing look at a religious sect, brings his considerable experience with personal politics to this well made, beautifully acted, snow-bound drama.

The film's last act is where the violence flares and the stage is set for several bloody, taut altercations. The film, however, never loses sight of its personal story and focuses closely on the courage and resilience of good, honest folk.

John Scott's score is hypnotic.

Noticed that this film gets 11% on Rotten Tomatoes. That strikes me as unduly harsh if for no other reason than it's unfair to Kurt Russell and Kelly McGillis both of whom manage to keep their nuanced acting heads above water while floundering in a stormy, polluted sea of Hillbilly schtick. I mean the temptation for these two, as they witnessed such acting luminaries as the patriarch of the Bridges clan go full on Grandpappy Walton while other members of the cast emulated the degenerate rapists in "Deliverance", to phone it in must have been well nigh overwhelming, but somehow they avoided it and such professionalism must be recognized. So, yeah, if I were Mr. Rotten T I'd give it 22% with the caveat that director Ted Kotcheff and producer/screenwriterCarol Sobieski be forever consigned to episodes of "The Dukes of Hazard", where their contributions can only be beneficial.

PS...As far as the kid actor, Amelia Burnette, is concerned she's somewhere in between McGillis/Russell and the ersatz Mountain Folk. Call it Margaret O'Brien lite.

Grade: C minus.

Thought I'd give this one a shot, since I've always liked the title (sounds mysterious, like a snow-bound thriller), but the misperceived melodrama of the acting and the storyline, right to the atrocious, embarassing final shot is so ridiculous the filmmakers' choices border on insane. Maybe this is because the director's last film was Weekend at Bernie's (!), and his sensibility gauge for emotional honesty was out of whack. Kelly McGillis followed Witness, Top Gun, Made in Heaven, The House on Carroll Street, and The Accused with the one-two punch in 1989 with this film and Cat Chaser, another disaster, and she doesn't seem to have starred in a worthwhile film again. That's unfortunate, because she was good.

I just watched this movie and what a well-spent evening!Thoroughly enjoyable.I can think of no flaws whatever with this film. The scenery is beautiful as well. Another plus.I can't imagine anyone not being pleased with their experience in seeing this film. It has drama,romance and wonderful relationship studies,and development.

I don't know what else to say without rambling! I can't believe IMDb insists that you must meet a minimum required amount of sentences to post a comment,SHEEZ! Just be sure not to pass this one up if you get a chance to see it. Fotunately my library had it. I don't remember ever hearing of it before.

I live here where they filmed the movie and I thought it was wonderful, the story was a wonderful setting for a romance and I thought the way they met and grew to love one another was outstanding. Even though the murder took place it showed what all they were willing to sacrifice for love. The way the family takes him in as a part of them at the beginning except for one brother and the way he begins to trust him is even as touching. The bear hut I thought was true to life as everyone here has mostly been and the producers and directors kept it true to life. We had a couple of our own hometown folks in the movie, the older men on the porch of the store, added more depth and made us proud. I guess in some ways we are portrayed as "bumpkins" still but I guess in a lot of ways we are and it shows how we live here... or families are all close and loving, never turn our back on our loved ones and I like how the movie shows us.

The Most Under the Radar Film of All Time. So well written and so well acted that your drawn into the story and it won't let you go. The Criterion Collection should remaster this film in 4K Blu-ray to restore it for future Movie lovers. It's that good.

This movie was filmed near my hometown in the Western North Carolina mountains in a little community called Plumtree in Avery County. The severe winter weather depicted in the film is like it really is. The elevation here is about 3500 feet and the area gets enough snow to support a large snow skiing industry.

Wayland Jackson (Kurt Russell) and his young daughter leave Pennsylvania and movie to rural Appalachia in 1934. Now considering the poverty in this part of the world, particularly during the Depression, this is an odd decision to say the least. On their way, Wayland's truck breaks down and he and the daughter make their way to a local cabin where Collie (Kelly McGillis) and her baby live. She lets them stay a bit, as it's cold outside and soon the pair fall in love. However, the baby's ne'er-do-well and extremely violent father returns for one of his rare visits...and he nearly kills Wayland and attempts to force himself on Collie. What's next? Well, a LOT...including threats from the violent man's very violent and awful clan.

The film has some remarkably good and restrained acting. In addition to Russell and McGillis doing a fine job, the oddly named Jeffrey Meek is exceptional as the evil father of the baby and the rest of the supporting cast (including Lloyd Bridges and Mitchell Ryan) are superb.

As for the story, it's compelling and has many twists and turns. You might not like these...but they do make for a story that is hard to stop watching.

Overall, a very well done film....not always pleasant but exceptional nonetheless...and far better than its current 6.3 rating on IMDB.

This was a surprisingly wonderful movie. I love the mountains, and the way these people lived was incredibly awesome.

This story makes me feel like going to the highest mountains to live. The actors were perfect for each part.

The way these folks dealt with real life was real justice. They did it the way it should be done.

The way they tracked down all the evidence was amazing. Their skills were uncanny.

At the end, GODS hand turned even the hardest heart into a soft one.

The decency was there, and things were as they should be.

If you haven't seen this movie, please take time to watch it. It is GREAT.

If only I could live with those clans from that small quaint valley. This film takes me back to a time and lifestyle that some of my ancestors may have experienced. I would have passed the time hunting bears and growing crops. The complex Christian symbolism woven throughout the movie makes it a must see for all of mankind. You will never find better acting or scenery in any film. If you have time to see one movie before you taking the big dirt nap you should watch this drama.