seymourblack-1 This adaptation of Edward Anderson's 1937 novel of the same name, focuses on the exploits of a gang of Depression-era bank robbers and a doomed love affair. The characters involved and the ways in which they relate to each other are fully explored and their rural Mississippi environment is recreated in a way that's both very authentic-looking and aesthetically pleasing. Their story is told in a style that's realistic, unglamorous and non-judgemental but also significantly, with the accompanying sound of a whole series of radio broadcasts that are deeply evocative, often pertinent to what's taking place on-screen and sometimes amusingly ironic.Three convicts serving long-term sentences escape from Mississippi state prison and hide out at a filling station run by Dee Mobley (Tom Skerritt). Gang-leader T-Dub (Bert Remsen), short-tempered Chicamaw (John Schuck) and youngest member, Bowie (Keith Carradine) soon get back to their criminal ways when they embark on a series of bank robberies with the aim of stealing enough cash to be able to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. T-Dub, as the most experienced gang member, masterminds the robberies which are mostly carried out without any problems.The gang have a great deal of downtime between robberies and Bowie, who hails from the Ozarks and was serving a life sentence for murder, is strongly attracted to Mobley's young daughter, Keechie (Shelley Duvall) who also works at the filling station. The couple grow closer after Bowie is involved in a car accident and Keechie nurses him back to health. Although the couple fall deeply in love, there's also a constant tension because Bowie remains fiercely loyal to his fellow gang members and both he and Keechie are constantly aware of the danger that he's in as the authorities get ever closer to bringing a permanent end to his freedom.Nicholas Ray's "They Live By Night" (1948) was also based on Edward Anderson's novel and interestingly there are some differences in the ways that the characters are portrayed in the two productions. In Ray's movie, Bowie had been unjustly found guilty of murder and after his escape from prison had misguidedly got involved in bank robbery as a means of getting sufficient money together to pay for the legal help he needed to prove his innocence of that charge. In "Thieves Like Us" however, the same character is depicted as a simple-minded person who has no regrets about what he did and has a propensity to keep allowing himself to be led by the wrong people. Similarly, the other gang members are portrayed as being equally simple individuals whose criminal activities (unlike in Ray's film) are not in any way related to the impact of the Great Depression.The quality of the acting in this movie is consistently top class with Keith Carradine and Shelley Duvall brilliantly displaying Bowie and Keechie's awkwardness and lack of polish and Bert Remsen excelling as the ever-optimistic and good humoured T-Dub whose enthusiasm for his work is infectious. John Schuck also makes the volatile Chicamaw memorable by the sheer power of his performance, especially when his character starts to drink heavily and gets progressively more violent but also when his frustration drives him into self-destructive behaviour (e.g. during his second escape from Mississippi state prison).Unusually, in this movie, some of the incidents which could have produced a great deal of excitement, suspense or drama (e.g. all but one of the bank robberies and the fates of key characters) are not shown on-screen. "Thieves Like Us" is unquestionably a very accomplished movie that's better appreciated now than it was at the time of its initial release but the decisions to make the characters less sympathetic than they were in Nicholas Ray's movie and to eschew the old "show, don't tell" adage were probably responsible (at least in some part) for its poor box office returns.

Scott LeBrun After "McCabe and Mrs. Miller", film director Robert Altman returns to the period piece with this superb character study, the second film adaptation (after Nicholas Ray's 1949 "They Live by Night") of a story by Edward Anderson. In Depression era Mississippi, a trio of criminals - Bowie (Keith Carradine), Chicamaw (John Schuck), and T-Dub (Bert Remsen) - escape from prison and hole up temporarily in a farmhouse where Bowie makes the acquaintance of Keechie (Shelley Duvall), with whom he falls in love. While there are bursts of violence throughout, this is much more character than action oriented, with leisurely pacing by Altman that allows the convincing atmosphere to really take hold. The period recreation is stunning, from costumes to sets to cars, and helps the viewer to become really involved in the story, and the people on screen, who each have their own flaws and ambitions. One will notice that Altman goes for an unconventional choice of soundtrack here, as instead of a score he uses old radio programs to enhance scenes; programs like "The Shadow" are used for more serious scenes while a production of "Romeo & Juliet" can be heard over a lovemaking scene. This, more than anything, transports the viewer back in time, doing a better job than most any music score could. Sometimes funny, and sometimes shocking, "Thieves Like Us" is best when it gives its well chosen cast opportunities to really strut their stuff. They couldn't be better; Carradine has one of his best ever roles as Bowie, who's engaging whether he's sharing a scene with Keechie or a stray dog he's befriended. Schuck is vivid as the explosive, alcoholic Chicamaw, and the late Remsen is a delight as the cheerful T-Dub. These two are under rated performers whose names deserve a mention a little more often. Louise Fletcher has her first substantial film role as the tough, no-nonsense Mattie, Ann Latham is appealing as Lula, and Tom Skerritt contributes a scene stealing turn as the cantankerous Dee Mobley. This is one of those movies best appreciated by those who don't need a car chase or other kind of action scene every few minutes in their criminals-on-the-lam pictures. It really cares about character, ambiance, and nuance, and is about as good as this kind of thing gets, maintaining interest for a compelling 123 minutes of screen time. While watching, the viewer will be amused to note the fairly big part that product placement plays here, as the drinking of Coca Cola becomes a recurring theme. Eight out of 10.

moonspinner55 Down South during the Depression, two wily crooks and a young man convicted on murder charges break out of prison and hole up at a rural truck stop. Robert Altman directed and co-adapted this second film version of Edward Anderson's book (previously made in 1948 as "They Live By Night"), and he's obviously in love with the damp, grubby milieu and characters. He gets some wonderful work from then-newcomers Keith Carradine and blithe, earthy Shelley Duvall, yet fails to drum up interest in the narrative. The trio take part in bank robberies but never raise much hell, while the interrelationships between the criminals and their familiars are so matter-of-fact that nothing comes along to surprise us. The screenplay (also worked on by Altman's associate Joan Tewkesbury and, for a brief time, Calder Willingham) is talk-heavy with lackadaisical dialogue; all the gabbing may indeed have the ring of natural conversation, but it mutes the film's pacing. The frequent radio broadcasts, vintage costumes and cars are fun ingredients initially, but with such a drab presentation (and hardly any light relief) one is apt to become restless with the lack of drive. Altman probably didn't want bold, vivid colors from cinematographer Jean Boffety, but what he did get--muddy-wet roads and paint-chipped old houses--is far too gloomy. The filmmaker takes his precious time presenting each scene, enjoying himself no doubt, but interest in these seedy lives is extremely limited. *1/2 from ****

Goodbye_Ruby_Tuesday I really should not be writing this because of my huge bias and unabashed love for Nicholas Ray's film debut, which is adapted from the same novel as Altman's film, but I'm going to exercise my freedom of speech while I still have it.Robert Altman was a subtle, interesting and sorely missed director. He had an acute eye for visual style, how the camera moves, setting of the times, and above all, the way people really talk--anyone can see a huge influence on the Coen Brothers. The Depression era-South is so fully realized in the smallest details like a bare light bulb and the gray skies give a definite look to a sour period of American history. But at two hours long, this is not for the "Speed" generation. Ray's "They Live by Night" is so well-remembered by cult fanatics and film critics for its fast pace and contemporary camera moves, and at 90 minutes you never want it to end.Though ensemble casts are part of Altman's trademark, there never seems to be a center to the story, despite the love aspect. Ray gives you two naive kids hardened by their environments who you root for and are truly the beating heart of the movie. These two characters needed two actors to embody the frantic love-on-the-run, and Ray struck gold with Cathy O'Donnell and Farley Granger. You didn't need to do anything special to make the audience believe that these kids were so naive...they simply *were* the characters as much as the characters were them, with a mad-love that was truly convincing all the way through, their hardened outsides giving an edge to this otherwise by-the-book "Romeo and Juliet" story.Altman, on the other hand, tries too hard to convince you that these actors are playing virginal, innocent lovers. While trying to make a 25-year-old Shelley Duvall look younger she looks like she's 5. There never seems to be the slightest hint of genuine romance or longing or passion in this love story, and it falls flat where it should be the strongest part of the whole story. Take the scene where Bowie asks Keechie if she's ever had a boyfriend before: partly because of the censorship issues of the 1940s, Ray couldn't show anything too explicit, so the most sensual moment is Keechie lovingly massaging Bowie's hurt back. This creates both a hidden, sexual longing between these innocents and reflects Keechie's tender, motherly care for Bowie. In Altman's version, the two simply share Coca Colas while sitting opposite each other, without much energy in the air. This film contains nudity, but there is no sense of reason for any of it.While Altman is known for his subtlety, he lacks any of it here. One scene in particular hits you over the head with the notion that the story greatly parallels "Romeo and Juliet," during the sex scene, with radio broadcasts cut in between (and there are a lot of them in this movie, too) of a broadcaster saying something along the lines of, "We now return to the story of Romeo and Juliet...two tragic star-crossed lovers..." The jig is up, Altman. We get it.Endings can nearly make or break a movie; Given Altman's nearly satirical edge to all his other movies, it's maybe unsettling that he went too far in the opposite direction, and he does go overboard with Bowie's death scene. He brings out the big guns, so to speak, with a long, "Bonnie and Clyde"-style shootout (in fact, it's a near copy of Arthur Penn's classic movie ending) with slow-motion photography and Shelley Duvall's Wilhelm screams. It's manipulative because he tries too hard to force emotions that weren't there to begin with. To me, Altman held his characters at a distance whereas Nicholas Ray was hugging them tight the whole time, and his unrequited love for Bowie and Keechie is what makes his ending so powerful. It is quick, raw and unrelenting. Bowie is dead, and all that is left is Cathy O'Donnell glowing under a harsh light, finally realizing the true love they could never express in words.Altman claims to have never heard of or seen "They Live by Night" while he made "Thieves Like Us." It's too bad; he could've learned a thing or two from Ray's self-assured and poignant debut.