Thieves Like Us 4K 1974 Ultra HD 2160p

A remake of N. Ray's “They Live by Night” (1949), based on Edward Anderson's novel written in 1937. The gangster story of the 30s is staged with warmth and humanity, and there is something of “Bonnie and Clyde” in it, but without romanticization. Young murderer and gangster Carradine escapes from prison along with hardened criminals Remsen and Shack. After a short rest, they again take up “work”, the only one in which they are professionals - robbing banks. But not the harsh everyday life of robberies, murders and chases are the core of the picture. In the center of the plot - the love story of a young thief and a simple, but soulfully delicate girl Carradine and Shelly Dewall. The music and sound design are by John Dunning, known for his pioneering work in radio. He has staged such radio productions as Gangbusters, Heart of Gold, and Romeo and Juliet. A recording of the latter can be heard when the young people make love. There are murders in the picture, but they are more often talked about than shown on screen. This is a character movie, not an “action” of outright violence.

User Review
Edward Anderson's novel "Thieves Like Us" was originally filmed in 1948 by Nicholas Ray as 'They Live By Night', a 'Bonnie & Clyde' style gangster picture, falling somewhere between a film-noir and the kind of film Warner Brothers might have turned out in the thirties and it generated its own excitement. This version, by Robert Altman and made in 1974, kept the original title but Altman drew all the excitement out of it. This is a strangely bloodless affair. As you might expect, however, it's very 'cinematic', stunningly shot by Jean Boffety and very well acted by members of Altman's stock company but it lacks the buzz a good Depression-era gangster film should have. It's fatalistic and yet you never feel involved with any of the characters. It's one of those films you admire but don't actually like even if it never puts a foot wrong. Still, leads Keith Carradine and Shelley Duvall are superb and that's enough to be getting on with.

Info Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265 (90.1 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: HDR10
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Info Audio

#English: FLAC 2.0
#English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
#French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0

Info Subtitles

English SDH, German.