{"id":8138,"date":"2009-07-13T19:31:00","date_gmt":"2009-07-14T02:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=8138"},"modified":"2022-09-11T22:56:26","modified_gmt":"2022-09-12T05:56:26","slug":"thieves-like-us-1974","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=8138","title":{"rendered":"Thieves Like Us (1974)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I shoulda robbed people with my brain instead of a gun.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Thieves-Like-Us-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Thieves-Like-Us-Poster-200x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-56344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Thieves-Like-Us-Poster-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Thieves-Like-Us-Poster-683x1024.png 683w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Thieves-Like-Us-Poster-85x128.png 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Thieves-Like-Us-Poster-180x270.png 180w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/Thieves-Like-Us-Poster.png 741w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA trio of fugitives (Keith Carradine, Bert Remsen, and John Schuck) rob banks in Mississippi while trying to stay out of the hands of the law; meanwhile, Carradine develops a crush on a gas station attendant (Shelley Duvall), Remsen falls for a blonde beauty school student (Ann Lathan), and Schuck shows increasingly violent tendencies.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Depression Era<\/li>\n<li>Fugitives<\/li>\n<li>Keith Carradine Films<\/li>\n<li>Louise Fletcher Films<\/li>\n<li>Robert Altman Films<\/li>\n<li>Shelley Duvall Films<\/li>\n<li>Thieves and Criminals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nRobert Altman&#8217;s period drama about thievery and young love during the Great Depression was adapted by Altman, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.answers.com\/topic\/calder-willingham\">Calder Willingham<\/a>, and Joan Tewksebury &#8220;from Edward Anderson&#8217;s novel, which was also the source for Nicholas Ray&#8217;s 1948&#8217;s classic <em>They Live By Night<\/em>.&#8221; Peary refers to it as a &#8220;masterpiece&#8221;, noting that it&#8217;s &#8220;terrifically acted&#8221;, has &#8220;exceptional, flavorful dialogue&#8221;, utilizes sets that &#8220;look lived in&#8221;, is masterfully cast &#8220;down to the bit parts&#8221;, and is filmed by cinematographer Jean Boffety in a way that &#8220;adds to the film&#8217;s lyricism and sense of a bygone time&#8221;. Indeed, its sense of period authenticity is especially striking; as Peary notes, Altman achieves this &#8220;through carefully chosen sets and props, hairstyles, clothes, and cars; and by establishing a lifestyle for his characters&#8230; that seems perfectly credible.&#8221;  The use of radio programs in the background (sometimes realistically ambient, at others more strategically chosen) is striking, giving one the distinct sense that radio was the &#8220;television&#8221; of the day &#8212; something that would likely be on in most households or cars, as a part of everyday life. <\/p>\n<p>Parallels between <em>Thieves Like Us<\/em> and Arthur Penn&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4421\"><em>Bonnie and Clyde<\/em> (1967)<\/a> are inevitable, given that both tell stories about &#8220;everyday&#8221; citizens during the Depression who are drawn to the glory and seemingly simple allure of bank robberies (indeed, no guards or policemen are ever shown nearby; Carradine and his team simply get away without a problem). To that end, Altman noticeably chooses &#8220;to treat the action sequences the same as the dialogue scenes, without suspense or exciting climaxes&#8221; &#8212; most likely because &#8220;Carradine himself doesn&#8217;t regard the robberies and shootouts as particularly interesting events in his life&#8221;; he&#8217;s much more concerned with making it back to his true love, &#8220;simple, scrawny&#8221; Keechie (Duvall), who possesses a strange appeal despite her odd looks (it&#8217;s easy to see why Carradine&#8217;s needy character falls for her). Duvall is excellent here, as are Carradine and the other male leads. Schuck &#8212; playing a psychopath &#8212; becomes increasingly terrifying as the film progresses, while Remsen is uniquely memorable as the oldest of the three thieves, who nonetheless possesses the strongest libido.<\/p>\n<p>As always with Altman&#8217;s best films, part of the allure of <em>Thieves Like Us<\/em> is waiting to see how events will unfold, since nothing is telegraphed ahead of time, and Altman strategically leaves out certain &#8220;key&#8221; scenes (i.e., only one bank robbery of several is actually shown on film, and the death of a major character is simply mentioned). Throughout, we feel like we&#8217;re simply watching &#8220;real life&#8221; as it happens &#8212; which is why the bloody climax (which deviates noticeably from the film&#8217;s previous air of hyper-realism) is a bit of a let-down; Altman utilizes slow-motion rather than allowing the scene to play out in &#8220;real time&#8221; as it should. This is a minor complaint, however, about an otherwise bleakly powerful film, one which leaves a lasting effect, and should be seen by all film fanatics at least once. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Keith Carradine as Bowie (Peary nominates him as one of the Best Actors of the Year in his <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/AlternateOscars.html\"><em>Alternate Oscars<\/em><\/a>)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/thieves-like-us-carradine.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/thieves-like-us-carradine.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8142\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Bert Remson as T-Dub<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/thieves-like-us-remsen.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/thieves-like-us-remsen.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8143\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>John Schuck as Chickama<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/thieves-like-us-schuck.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/thieves-like-us-schuck.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8144\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Shelley Duvall as Keechie (Peary nominates her as one of the Best Actresses of the Year in his <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/AlternateOscars.html\"><em>Alternate Oscars<\/em><\/a>)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/thieves-like-us-duvall.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/thieves-like-us-duvall.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8145\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Louise Fletcher as Mattie<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/thieves-like-us-fletcher.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/thieves-like-us-fletcher.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8146\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine period detail<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/thieves-like-us-period-detail.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/thieves-like-us-period-detail.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8147\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Jean Boffety&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/thieves-like-us-cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/thieves-like-us-cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8148\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Memorable imagery<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/thieves-like-us-romance-smoke.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/thieves-like-us-romance-smoke.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8149\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as one of Altman&#8217;s best early films. Peary nominates it as one of the Best Movies of the Year in his <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/AlternateOscars.html\"><em>Alternate Oscars<\/em> book<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1784#director\">Important Director<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0072274\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1974\/02\/12\/archives\/film-thieves-like-usproduction-by-altman-illuminates-an-era-the.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/thieves-like-us-1974\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.allmovie.com\/work\/113290\">All Movie Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/thieves-like-us\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I shoulda robbed people with my brain instead of a gun.&#8221; Synopsis: A trio of fugitives (Keith Carradine, Bert Remsen, and John Schuck) rob banks in Mississippi while trying to stay out of the hands of the law; meanwhile, Carradine develops a crush on a gas station attendant (Shelley Duvall), Remsen falls for a blonde beauty school student (Ann Lathan), and Schuck shows increasingly violent tendencies. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Depression Era Fugitives Keith Carradine Films Louise Fletcher Films&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=8138\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8138"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87307,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8138\/revisions\/87307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}