Thieves Like Us (1974), Robert Altman, A-
Altman reins in his trademarked chaos and tells a straight yarn. Performances reach near Cassavetes-style greatness (anything with Burt Remsen can’t be bad) and such a full court press of realism places us in a world where Shelly Duvall is, by comparison to everything else, drop dead gorgeous. Altman has never struck me as a guy for period films, but the detail given to the production design (and ubiquitous radio broadcasts) of this depression-era tale is nothing short of miraculous. To put it bluntly: best kitchen bric-a-brac ever.
Shocking statement: Thieves Like Us is a far better film than Bonnie and Clyde.