Kansas City (1996)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Robert Altman

Writers (WGA):

Robert Altman (written by) &
Frank Barhydt (written by)

Release Date:

16 August 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Music | Thriller

Tagline:

Kansas City, 1934. Anything could happen here. One night it did.

Plot:

Robert Altman's jazz-scored film explores themes of love, crime, race, and politics in 1930's Kansas City...

Plot Keywords:

1930s | Jazz | Irish American | Mafia | Independent Film

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Blondie O'Hara
Miranda Richardson	...	Carolyn Stilton
Harry Belafonte	...	Seldom Seen
Michael Murphy	...	Henry Stilton
Dermot Mulroney	...	Johnny O'Hara
Steve Buscemi	...	Johnny Flynn
Brooke Smith	...	Babe Flynn
Jane Adams	...	Nettie Bolt
Jeff Feringa	...	Addie Parker
A.C. Tony Smith	...	Sheepshan Red (as A.C. Smith)
Martin Martin	...	'Blue' Green
Albert J. Burnes	...	Charlie Parker
Ajia Mignon Johnson	...	Pearl Cummings
Tim Snay	...	Rally Speaker
Tawanna Benbow	...	Rose

MPAA:

Rated R for language, and for some violence and drug use.

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

France | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | France:Unrated | Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Kansas City, Kansas, USA

Company:

CiBy 2000

Trivia:

Robert Altman grew up in Kansas City.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Governor Guy Park is telephoned about the kidnapping, he suggests notifying the state police. Missouri has no state police (only Highway Patrol).

Quotes:

Seldom Seen: You have to understand Sheepshan. He's a loser. And losers've got to be respected. They're the backbone of my business. They're my customers, and I take good care of my customers.

Movie Connections:

References The Girl from Missouri (1934)

A must for real jazz fans

The music is superb. The movie is so-so. The period sets are perfect and its just like being back in KC during the infamous Pendergast era. Altman made this movie as a paean to his hometown and the music that came out of it. One cannot divorce the music from the movie. Either you are a jazz fan or you're not. If you're not, you won't like this movie. Its that simple. If you are, you are really in for a treat. The film features all of the "new" stars in jazz from the mid-90's (James Carter and Craig Handy on saxes, Mark Whitfield on guitar, Geri Allen and Cyrus Chestnut on piano....the list goes on and on. They all play the legends of jazz that came out of Kansas City-people like Count Basie, Joe Williams, Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins. A veritable treat for the in-the-know jazz fan but probably a bore for anyone else. Altman stays on the music longer than most directors would because this is a film about the music as much as it is about the plot.

And here's the real irony. Movie buffs will say they wished Altman wouldn't have devoted so much time to the music and jazz buffs will say they wished Altman would have done away with the ridiculous, annoying plot and grating performance by Jennifer Jason Leigh and focused entirely on the music. How to please everyone? The end result is uneven but there's enough here to keep all parties interested.

If any actor should be singled out, it should be Harry Belafonte. His turn as the underworld kingpin, Seldom Seen, is fantastic. He speaks in a low, gruff rasp but his dialogue is truly worth the effort to understand. When he goes off on the Marcus Garvey speech, its worth the price of admission. Of course, it helps to know who Marcus Garvey was. Jazz fans (and reggae fans, too) will get it. After all, this is a movie for them/us.