It's not exactly a pulse-pounding tour-de-force, but Karel Reisz's Everybody Wins (1990) is an interesting little mystery that unravels at its own pace. Based on the play by Arthur Miller (who also supplied the film's screenplay), there's plenty of atmosphere and even more talking; unfortunately, the latter turned off most audiences and heavily contributed to the film's dismal performance at the box office. Another factor was poor marketing, leading audiences to believe they'd be watching an edge-of-your-seat thriller instead of an offbeat, dialogue-driven curiosity. Allow me to state the obvious: when you get the wrong audience to come to the theater, you really can't expect great results.

Despite these setbacks, Everybody Wins manages to keep its head above water. The premise is hardly anything new and groundbreaking (a detective is hired to defend a seemingly innocent person, leading to a web of corruption) while the story unfolds at a leisurely pace, though patient viewers should have no trouble keeping up. The atmosphere and underlying mystery are the real kickers here, mildly reminiscent of future small-town mysteries such as David Lynch's Twin Peaks.

With strong performances by Nick Nolte (seen above, Hotel Rwanda), Debra Winger (An Officer and a Gentleman), Will Patton (After Hours) and many more, the characters manage to stand out despite being somewhat underdeveloped. The film's small-town roots work well with its methodical pace, though it's still a bit flat when compared to the stylish noir that most viewers are accustomed to.

Don't get me wrong: Everybody Wins is not the sleeper hit of the decade (or even an exceptional mystery), but it's an underappreciated film that has languished in general obscurity (considering the talent involved, at least) for the last decade and a half. Those who enjoy slow-unfolding mysteries will want to give it a shot, though it's certainly the kind of film that polarizes its audience. Even so, the belated DVD release from MGM ensures that it won't stay hidden from view much longer.

Unfortunately, not much effort has been put into this package---not a surprise, since it's a budget release of a catalog title. The film itself gets a decent enough technical presentation, but this bare-bones release doesn't offer much support otherwise. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Seen above, the menu designs are very basic, offering a clean layout and easy navigation (though they don't capture the film's mood very well). This 90-minute film has been divided into roughly a dozen chapters, while no obvious layer change was detected during playback. The packaging is a direct port of the menu design---or is it the other way around?---and no inserts are included.

The film's slow pace and dialogue-driven format may turn off viewers expecting a suspenseful thriller---but that's not to say that Everybody Wins is a bad film, just a victim of poor marketing and mixed reviews. Unfortunately, MGM's disc didn't improve the experience beyond the main feature, but at least the technical presentation is passable. Those who enjoyed the film should have no problem picking up this low-priced disc, though everyone else should dip their toes in the water first. Rent It.