Robbing 36 banks was easy. It's the 37th that you need to watch.... Classic romantic drama about three convicted killers Bowie Chicamaw and T-Dub who escape from prison in 1937 rural Mississippi. Bowie the youngest of the fugitives meets and falls for an ingenious farm girl Keechie. The gang quickly turns to the only thing they know bank robbery. The press closely follows the desperados notorious exploits which include a serious car accident another jail break and several killings. The acclaimed Louis Fletcher made her film debut playing Remsen's sister... in law. [show more]
This excellent DVD finally brings Robert Altman's forgotten mini-masterpiece "Thieves Like Us" to a wider audience. This film hails from Altman's late 70s hey-day, his most fertile creative period, and it definitely deserves the newfound attention this disc should bring it. As with all of Altman's genre exercises, "Thieves" truly subverts the expectations of its genre while putting the focus squarely on its intriguing characters. The main one here is Bowie (Keith Carradine), one of a trio of bank robbers. Like his friends, Bowie cops to a tough guy attitude, but at heart he's just a small-town country boy with an aw-shucks manner and gentle ways. Amidst the chaos of the trio's crime spree and the resulting nationwide manhunt, Bowie meets awkward farm girl Keechie (an exceptional performance from Shelley Duvall) and falls in love with her. Altman wisely keeps the violence and crime mostly simmering in the background, only occasionally exploding out into the criminals' daily lives, and keeps the main narrative focus on the developing affection between Bowie and Keechie. The result is a warm, touching, surprisingly sweet film with an undercurrent of grit and energy to keep it from becoming saccharine. The quietly moving scene where Keechie cleans the blood off Bowie's face after a car accident basically sums up the film's emotional tension. MGM has done great just by bringing this forgotten pleasure back to the mainstream, and their DVD perfectly captures the warm, fuzzy look of Altman's Depression-era South. The only extra is a typically enlightening commentary from the director himself, recorded in 1988. This is a true work of art and definitely worth a look.
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In 1930s Mississippi a convicted murderer (Keith Carradine) is serving his sentence on a prison farm when he manages to escape with two accomplices They go on the run embarking on a series of violent bank robberies but it is not long before the police are on their trail Robert Altman gathers another ensemble cast of all-star names for this Depression set drama
In 1930s Mississippi, a convicted murderer (Keith Carradine) is serving his sentence on a prison farm when he manages to escape with two accomplices. They go on the run, embarking on a series of violent bank robberies, but it is not long before the police are on their trail. Robert Altman gathers another ensemble cast of all-star names for this Depression set drama.
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