Thieves Like Us — Thieves Like Us(Blu Ray)

From acclaimed director Robert Altman (The Player, Gosford Park, M*A*S*H, McCabe & Mrs Miller) comes Thieves Like Us, based on the 1937 novel of the same name by author Edward Anderson. After escaping from prison in 1930s Mississippi, criminals Bowie (Keith Carradine), T-Dub (Bert Remsen) and Chicamaw (John Schuck) go on the run from the law and hide out at the house of T-Dub’s sister-in-law. Soon Bowie begins to fall for garage worker Keechie (Shelley Duvall), but Bowie can’t find it in him to turn his back on this whirlwind life of crime. A life which is all about to fall apart.

I’ll admit, rather shamefully, I had never seen an Altman film prior to watching Thieves Like Us. I know of the big hitters like The Player or Nashville but I’ve never actually sat down to watch them, so don’t be expecting me to give any profound insights into how this film works within the wider filmography of Altman. However, what I will say is that is exactly the right type of crime movie for me; one where the crime and the process of committing it are completely secondary to a deeper exploration of the emotional weight of being or being related to a criminal.

Altman rightly positions the narrative lens for the first act around the wider implications that being a hardened criminal has on their family. The extensive sequences set in the sister-in-law's house begin with a strange sentimentality, an almost sitcom-like atmosphere hides the sinister underbelly that these three men are violent and vicious individuals. Firecrackers make for a really interesting audible mood setter, a reminder for the punishment that’s always lingering somewhere off in the near future. The invisible threat of the law always being around the criminals makes domesticity seem hostile, perhaps Altman shows this best with the terrifying mock bank robbery game that T-Dub and Chicamaw play with the kids of the house. Initially starting out as a bit of fun, it slowly descends into something that is all too real for the men playing at being robbers. The performances of Schuck and Remsen here are so fuelled by anger and a deranged sense of not being able to separate their two lives well enough, resulting in them pointing real guns at children and screaming at them without a sense of any of this being an act or game.

The film’s second half is where Altman shifts into exploring how romance and love is tested and damaged because of these double lives. Duvall and Carradine are mesmerising together in these scenes, initially playing to a very sweet and almost saccharine portrayal of their love for each other. However as Bowie refuses to turn his back on his old life, and getting involved in a murder while on a job, it’s clear that his relationship with Keechie can’t be one that lasts forever. Duvall and Carradine easily slip into these argumentative and deeply tragic characterisations. When that ending comes, it really hits you like an emotional truck. Altman’s use of noise in that scene in particular is perfect, it perfectly sells the brutality that Altman sees exists as a consequence for such a destructive life.

Now this new Blu-ray release from Radiance is absolutely chock-a-block with bonus features. We’ve got a pair of new interviews; one with co-writer Joan Tewkesbury who explores her long collaborative career with Altman on projects like Nashville and McCabe & Mrs Miller, and the other with leading actor Keith Carradine. We are also treated to a new video essay from film critic Geoff Andrew, who explores this film’s place in Altman’s wider filmography and how it served as an influence on his work going forward. Rounding off the behind-the-scenes features on the disc is a commentary track from the director himself, giving us an extremely intimate look into the world and production of Thieves Like Us. Also included on the disc are a pair of classic radio plays, both of which feature at points during the movie. You can listen to Orson Welles’ The Shadow and an episode of the adventure series Speed Gibson of the International Secret Police. Honestly, this is one the best suites of bonus features we’ve had on a Radiance release in my opinion. 

Thieves Like Us is a tight and emotionally driven crime thriller which places the heart of the story exactly where it needs to be; with its tragic loves and broken family. Altman’s positioning of Bowie’s self-destruction as the narrative driver makes complete sense for this story, and I do honestly think that could be what acts as the biggest barrier for entry. If you can’t get engrossed in Altman’s very specific brand of humanisation then I could see you getting bored because this is a relatively uneventful film, but it's in the fact that it is uneventful that I found it so engrossing. You’re always waiting for something horrible to happen, that sense of knowing it's all going to fall in on itself makes Thieves Like Us one of the most compelling crime films of the 1970s.