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 ****
Review of Born to Win
