Kansas City

...Leigh (with a mouth full of jagged teeth and a permanent snarl) and Richardson (who totters along in a druggy stupour), give brilliant performances...

Altman tells a fairly straightforward story about a gun moll who kidnaps a politician's wife, but there's a lot more to the film than its story.

The film plays like part homage, part affectionate parody of old-time noir thrillers.

The three leads offer richly nuanced performances, and Altman and co-screenwriter Frank Barhydt (...) expertly weave such disparate elements as jazz, political corruption, racial tension, marital discord and rabid movie fandom...