A puzzling, unsatisfactory, but not unstylish film, it would seem to be attempting some feat of alienation -- and succeeding, I would say, but not quite as intended.

Altman, revisiting territories already familiar from his McCabe & Mrs Miller, here uses the past – this time the Great Depression – as a prism to America’s present, while finding warts-and-all sympathy for the nation’s marginalised outlaws.

It is, is, perhaps, the most demanding of his recent films -- but as always, the demands are justified and rewarding.

"Thieves Like Us" remains in line with other Altman offerings, but it's hard to grasp the purpose of its glacial pace, which strains dramatic engagement as cinematic indulgence tends to dominate the viewing experience.