Kansas City (1996, R)

Directed by Robert Altman (The Player)

Starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Miranda Richardson, Harry Belafonte, Steve Buscemi, Dermont Mulroney

As Reviewed by James Brundage

I'll be honest, Kansas City is Robert Altman's worst film. Normally, when I open a review with a line like that, I follow it up with an explanation of how, even though it was his worst film, it still is medicore. But, I'll be honest once again, Kansas City isn't even a good film.

Kansas City follows Blondie (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a desperate wife of Johnny O'Hara (Mulroney) in her quest to get him back. Johnny O'Hara is a thief who robbed a black gambler only to be quickly caught and imprisoned by Seldom Seen (Belafonte).

Blondie decides to kidnape Caroline (Richardson) and use her as leverage against her connected husband to have him send in Italians to free Johnny.

Now, you're probably thinking waht I was thinking. How the hell does that turn into a movie two hours long. The answer, of course, is a series on unneccesary plot devicies and and intercut jazz soundtrack. The jazz soundtrack, in fact, is the only thing that kept me from turning the video off and watching Mother Night, my other film for my snowed-in day.

Like Short Cuts, Kansas City incorporates jazz into the story. In Short Cuts it was part of the story. In Kansas City, it may have well been the story. Admittedly, the performances weren't bad, with Miranda Richardson giving a more-than-convincing performance as the opium-addict politician's wife. But there wasn't much of a plot, there wasn't any point, and there wasn't anything special.

It doesn't function as thriller, as noir, as drama, as comedy, or as any other genre you can imagine. Nor does it deliver the standard excellence of Robert Altman's normally adept direction.

Really, folks, what the hell was Robert Altman thinking?