Born To Win (1971) New York Junkie Noir

Directed by Ivan Passer.  

The screenplay was written by David Scott Milton and Ivan Passer, and was based on David Scott Milton's original story. 

Milton based the characters in this film on the junkies who patronized a Manhattan diner he once owned. His original conception was a way off Broadway play called Scraping Bottom. 

The excellent Cinematography was by Richard C. Kratina, and Jack Priestle, with a  jazzy soundtrack by William Fischer .  

The film stars George Segal (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, King Rat (a fav), The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, No Way to Treat a Lady) as J.J., Karen Black (Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, The Outfit, Family Plot) as Parm, J.J.'s gal pal, Paula Prentiss (Where The Boys Are, The Stepford Wives, Catch-22) as Veronica, J.J.'s junkie / hooker wife, Hector Elizondo (The Fat Black Pussycat, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, ) as the pusher Vivian aka "The Geek," Jay Fletcher (Foxy Brown, California Split, Cutter's Way ) as Billy Dynamite, J.J.'s best buddy and fellow junkie. Sylvia Syms as the Cashier, Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver, Once Upon A Time In America)) as Narc Cop Danny, Ed Madsen as the Narc Detective, Marcia Jean Kurtz (Panic In needle Park, Death Wish, Dog Day Afternoon, Once Upon A Time In America, Requiem for a Dream, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, The Wrestler) as Marlene, Irving Selbst as Stanley, Burt Young (Chinatown, Across 110th Street, Once Upon A Time In America, Last Exit to Brooklyn) as First hood, and New York City's Time Square circa 1971). 

Story

Quick vignettes of J.J. sitting at a table giving short monologues about his life while he pulls capsules apart (methamphetamine maybe?). 

They call him a charmer, he tells us, because he's used to dealing with women. He used to be a hairdresser. He thinks of himself as an artist. He treats people the way most people don't and he gets a lot of respect...

George Segal as J.J.

We cut to a nighttime aerial of Times Square and the "Deuce", New York City, and with a cool jazzy piece by Willian Fischer playing we watch J.J. a junkie making the rounds on the street, he's just a cat looking for a connection. 

Times Square back then was like a 24/7/365 "Adult" Amusement Park in the heart of Mid-Town Manhattan. You could find anything there, from a real live flea circus to 25 cent "Live Nude Girl" peepshows. The only place so far I've found that's comparable to it today the Las Vegas strips (Fremont Street and Las Vegas Blvd.). 

Times Square 1970 looking North with Broadway on lt., 7th Ave. on rt.

J.J. finds Billy D in a Playland

Jay Fletcher as Billy Dynamite

He eventually meets up with Billy Dynamite in a Playland. Billy tells J.J. that he beat the game and wins a toy elephant. 

They team up to pull a job that involves stealing a safe by conning the cashier that the owner told them to do it. They almost get away with it. The owner showed up just at the wrong time. It's a humorous sequence.

Sylvia Syms as the Cashier

"hey Harry the guys were just here and picked up the safe"

"What!"

Coincidentally as soon as J.J. and Billy D hit the street a NYPD car pulls up

Splitting the scene of the crime down the street.

They get to the street but drop the safe as both the lounge owner and a cop car pulls up to the curb. Billy D and J.J. split running across Broadway traffic. On a subway train J.J. ditches a semi-nodding out Billy D. and his elephant. 

Bummed out on the Subway

We cut to another jazzy tune while we watch J.J. walking down a street systematically checking the door handles of every car he passes.  When he gets alongside a yellow Chevy Vega a door is unlocked. He opens the door and slides into the drivers seat. He's gonna boost the car. He has a large ring of car "master" keys and he starts trying one after another. 

Karen Black as Parm

While he's doing this a young brunette named Parm comes up along side the car and stares at him. She gets J.J.'s attention and asks for a ride. J.J. tells her to hop in. Parm gets into the passenger seat and watches J.J. continue to try different keys. 

You want to try this key?

Finally she asks him if he wants "the key?" Sheepishly J.J. asks her if this is her car?

"this is your car?"

It's a meet cute between a suave junkie and a ditsy chick. She asks J.J. to drive her home. 

We get again a nice little jazz guitar interlude as we watch the Vega cruise Mid Town Manhattan and Times Square's rain slick streets, then cut to an apartment building where Parm and J,J, are climbing the stairs to Parm's door. When she is outside of her door she asks him if he's nervous. 

Are you nervous?  

Once inside we see that Parm is pretty well to do. It's a nice apartment, well appointed. J.J. sticks his hand in the pocket of his leather coat and pretends he's got a gun. He tells Parm this is a stick up. He wants her jewels. She replies that he can have everything. 

They make some small talk J.J. tells her that he was married but his wife was a sneak cheat. He caught a guy in his closet once still smoking his cigar. 

Parm kisses J.J. and slips out of the room. J.J. hops up in true junkie fashion and starts systematically (like he's done it many times before)  combing through Parm's belongings, turning things upside down to see if there's still a price tag, etc., etc., looking for stuff worth pawning and pocketing them. 

Parm comes back into the room in a nightgown and hops into bed. She sits cross leg and looks a J.J. waiting for him to undress. J.J. gets the message. They make more courting small talk, "pitching the woo" as they used to say, after  J.J. gets in the bed and we fade to black. 

Daybreak. Times square. We see a limo, heading West on on W 47th Street turn the corner of Duffy Square and Broadway. It's Vivian's limo, he's a pusher formerly known as "The Geek." Vivian spots J.J. sitting on a bench. Duffy Square, is the northern "bow" of the Times Square's "bowtie" shape. Vivian wants J.J. to pick up a package from one guy and take it to another guy J.J. knows named Stanley. 

Duffy Square Broadway at bottom 7th Ave. at top 47th street at the left.

Hector Elizondo as Vivian aka "the Geek."

"Come on Geek you already have everything I own, you even have my wife hooking for you."

"It's Vivian, J., I just want you to pick up a package from a guy and bring it to Stanley."

It's and easy job and Stanley's gal pal Marlene answers the door when J.J. arrives with the package. J.J. gives it to Stanley and asks for a little taste. He tells Stanley that Marlene needs a Manhattan look as a "to boot" to get his "taste". Stanley shuts the door on him.

Marcia Jean Kurtz as Marlene

Irving Selbst as Stanley

"Bummer"

Later that night J.J. is hanging out outside of the dive bar Vivian frequents. He's waiting for The Geek. His limo arrives. Vivian gets out of the car with Veronica, J.J.'s junkie hooker wife. They go into the bar. J.J. follows. 

In one of the booths he stops and talks to Veronica who looks like she is sitting with either two black pimps or two black clients, we never know for sure. She's a "working" girl and turning tricks out of the bar for Vivian or on "loan" to the pimps.

J.J. asks Veronica, how the kids are? Veronica tells J.J. that she sent them to live with her mother in California.

Paula Prentis as Veronica

J.J.: Hey Geek 

Vivian: Its Vivian, J.

J.J. hits up Vivian for his "taste" for the job he did. Vivian signals his man who escorts both J.J. and Veronica to the dive's back room "shooting gallery" 

This is a pretty gritty sequence well photographed and acted by Segal and Prentiss, they really look and talk fucked up. 

The rush

J.J. Nodding out

Veronica Nodding out

Everything is clicking in this sequence. The background music. Their speech patterns, facial expressions, they both look like they are melting together into each other as they both start to nod out. 

It's these little gem sequences like this, the opening credit sequence, and other glimpses of 1970 Manhattan, accompanied by William Fischer's score that make this a Neo Noir worth watching.

It goes Noirsville when J.J. and Billy D decide they are going to steal Stanley's heroin package. 

Noirsville

This doesn't have a happy ending.  The humorous sequences are like a catharsis on a tragicomedy roller coaster ride to oblivion. 

Segal, Black, Prentiss, and Fletcher are all excellent. The rest of cast believable. Early De Niro in a minor role is interesting to see. The jazz guitar score is great. The capture of 1970 Times Square, Manhattan is a plus 8/10.