Kansas City (1996)

59% of critics liked it
(34 reviews)
37% of users liked it
(1,935 ratings)

The jazz world of 1930s Kansas City serves as the backdrop for an offbeat story of kidnapping, political corruption, and organized crime in director Robert Altman's loving but unsentimental look at his childhood hometown. The film's intricate story is triggered by petty thief Johnny O'Hara (Dermot… More The jazz world of 1930s Kansas City serves as the backdrop for an offbeat story of kidnapping, political corruption, and organized crime in director Robert Altman's loving but unsentimental look at his childhood hometown. The film's intricate story is triggered by petty thief Johnny O'Hara (Dermot Mulroney), who aims for a big score by trying to rob notorious crime boss Seldom Seen (Harry Belafonte), only to end up Seen's captive. In fear for her husband's life, Johnny's wife Blondie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) decides to take action. Following an eccentric personal logic, she takes as a hostage the wife of a prominent local politician, in hopes of getting the woman's husband to help; unfortunately, he is on the road with an upcoming presidential campaign, putting a major hitch in Blondie's plans. The film moves freely among its idiosyncratic characters in an overt attempt to mimic the improvisational structure of 1930s jazz. Indeed, many of the film's most important sequences take place in Seldom Seen's club, with contemporary jazz greats imitating the period's master musicians and Harry Belafonte shining as the magnetic, menacing Seen. The central narrative never achieves the seemingly effortless integration of Altman's greatest works, but those who share Altman's obvious passion for the period and its music will find much to admire. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 55 min.
Directed By: Robert Altman
Written By: Robert Altman, Frank Barhydt
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: Aug 16, 1996 Wide
On DVD: Feb 15, 2005
Studio: Fine Line

Critic Reviews

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
It could never for an instant be mistaken for anything but a Robert Altman film, and that counts for a lot.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
A sadly ordinary motion picture, and, in less sure hands, it might have been something of an unfortunate mess. Even with Altman at the helm, however, it manages to be singularly unremarkable.
Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle
Let's just say that if you find it arbitrary and more an expression of Altman's feelings about class than the outcome of his story, then we are in agreement.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
[It] has its own brawling vitality.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
All of the characters act as if somebody might come along someday and make a movie about them. And Altman, who made the movie, gets his chance to sit in at last on one of those cutting sessions.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
A minor work in Altman's oeuvre that can't bridge the gap between its larger issues--sharp inequality, American political process--and the two women at its center that are not interesting as characters or actresses (Jason Leigh and Miranda Richardson)
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Robert Altman brings us an effective, if minor, crime film filled with the jazz sounds of Count Basie and Lester Young.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Altman looks back at his hometown in an unsentimental, hard-nosed way.
Jon Niccum, Lawrence Journal-World
Altman gets so caught up in the jazz music that he forgets to concentrate on the story
Blake Davis, KFOR Channel 4 News
Robert Altman having fun, and it features a performance by Jennifer Jason Leigh that has to be seen to be believed.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Another spunky film in a series of Robert Altman portraits of the failure of the American Dream.
Kim Williamson, Boxoffice Magazine
The film moves with the slowness of an opium daze, and it transmits its plot information with the incremental dit-dot-dash of a wire message.

Read all 12 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Steven C

"Kansas City" is an extremely slight film in Robert Altman's filmography. I was surprised that Altman forgets the basic ingredients that are so important to making film noir work. The biggest sin "Kansas City" commits is that the film is never nasty. A good… More
"Kansas City" is an extremely slight film in Robert Altman's filmography. I was surprised that Altman forgets the basic ingredients that are so important to making film noir work. The biggest sin "Kansas City" commits is that the film is never nasty. A good film noir should always make you feel uncomfortable. Altman understood this in "The Long Goodbye," but for some reason it's obviously absent from "Kansas City." Moreover, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Miranda Richardson are sorely miscast, making the pedestrian proceedings even more uninteresting. "Kansas City" could have been a great film if Altman had dared to take more interesting choices, something that effects all of his late 90s works. As it stands, this is just aggressively mediocre.
Coxxie M

boring, but interesting and decently made... also just my opinion but Jennifer Jason Leigh makes Dane Cook seem oscar worthy (seriously).
Lanning :

This is Belafonte's movie. Someone with so much music in his soul being able to play so chillingly souless a character. Amazing performance.
Brian R

I pefered this film then Altman's "Thieves Like Us" which was also set in the depression era of the 1930. "Kansas City" doesn't care so much on the plot but rather on the characters but I was particularly more interested in the jazz players, and a… More
I pefered this film then Altman's "Thieves Like Us" which was also set in the depression era of the 1930. "Kansas City" doesn't care so much on the plot but rather on the characters but I was particularly more interested in the jazz players, and a "Godfather" type played by Harry Belefonte. Altman seems to not want to use his usually skilled trademarks. There is seldom use of overlapping dialogue although there is a good sense of closeness between blacks and whites within Kansas City, Altman's authentic detail to the 1930's, and his great use of editing, cutting between the main characters, and the jazz players. One of the best scenes show two jazz artist going against one another and afterwods respecting each other's craft. Steve Buscemi's character reminds me of one of the characters in "Gangs Of New York" getting all the people to vote. This picture is not Altman's best film but I still enjoyed it thanks to a strong performance from Belefonte, and well, again the period and the music.
Brett W

Robert Altman is one of those directors I will never understand. I have nothing against the man but the significance bestowed upon him by film scholars is beyond me. Sure, he made a lot of decent films, some of which are watchable, but on the whole they always come across as several… More
Robert Altman is one of those directors I will never understand. I have nothing against the man but the significance bestowed upon him by film scholars is beyond me. Sure, he made a lot of decent films, some of which are watchable, but on the whole they always come across as several plays staged on a massive scale with Altman sitting in the wings, pointing at things for the cameramen to shoot. Stylistic qualms aside, Kansas City is a turd, plain and simple. A good looking turd. A well premised turd, but savagely beaten into mind numbing nothingness by a total lack of direction. It seems like everyone involved is haphazardly wandering from scene to scene waiting for important plot points to materialize. The eternally pouty Jennifer Jason Leigh pouts her way through scene after pointless scene while the eternally sexy Miranda Richardson sits in the corner watching. Hey, look! It's Harry Belafonte talking to some guy throughout the entire movie about THE SAME THING, OVER AND OVER AND OVER.